Strong
by Teddy1008
Summary: Louis Tomlinson doesn't know how to be a good Dom for Harry. Harry Styles doesn't know how to be a good Sub for Louis. Luckily, Doms Liam Payne and Zayn Malik and their Sub, Niall Horan, know how to help. By tutoring them. Also posted on AO3. Will contain BDSM, Spanking, etc, please read at your own risk. There will be smut eventually.
1. Chapter 1

**WARNINGS: THIS IS A BDSM FIC. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK. Louis unintentionally abuses Harry by not finishing his discipline even though Harry needs it. He gives some aftercare though. Harry and Louis have somewhat of an unhealthy relationship, but that'll be fixed soon enough in the story.**

 **Author's Note: I'm not really sure about posting this here ... Like I said before, this is a BDSM Fic. You have been warned. Anyway, enjoy! I didn't know which category to put this in so I just gave it my best shot. If you have something you think suits it better, please tell me! :)**

 **Chapter One**

* * *

Oh, god. He had messed up _again_. Now, Louis was going to have to punish him again, and then they would both end up panicking before Louis would flee from the room, leaving Harry alone to wallow in self-pity and feel disgust at himself, because he knew that he was a horrible Sub. It was a wonder Louis didn't hate him.

"I'm sorry," Harry tried to say, but a sob blocked him from muttering the words coherently.

Louis didn't say anything, instead just sighing and pacing a few times before crooking a finger silently, going downstairs to the basement.

Oh, god. The basement. He had screwed up so badly this time. He was never going to forgive himself. Louis was never going to forgive him. The basement was the coldest part of the house, but thankfully his Dom never left him there for long.

After fleeing from the room, unable to continue punishing Harry, he would come back, half an hour if he recovered quickly, two hours at the latest. Harry would be shivering of cold and loneliness and Louis would be almost on the verge of tears, trembling and mumbling apologies as he warmed up a cup of hot cocoa for him, wrapping Harry in a warm blanket. Thankfully and luckily, Harry had never experienced a 'drop' before.

However, as this routine happened over and over again, the three words Louis always uttered to him as he apologized meant less and less to Harry.

' _I love you_ '.

If Louis really loved him, then wouldn't it mean that he would be able to discipline him and comfort him after? If Louis actually loved him, wouldn't he be able to punish Harry accordingly and then give him all the comfort and love that all subs deserved after being disciplined?

Was it considered abuse? Would they both be in trouble from the ADS?

However, scared of Louis' reaction, he had never spoken his fears and thoughts out loud. Tomorrow, though, was the day Harry knew that both him and Louis were dreading. Tomorrow was the day when the Inspectors came around from the _Association of Doms and Subs_ , also known as the ADS.

For a newly appointed pair of a Dom and a Sub, the Inspectors came around every two months for a year, six times in total, until they were satisfied of the Dom's treatment of the Submissive. If they were not satisfied, then the Dom and Sub would be separated, for both of their safety. If everything seemed to be good, then the Inspectors would allow the pair to stay together. Then they would visit once every two years, just in case.

Harry had been Louis' Sub for half a year now, and though it wasn't an unhappy relationship, it wasn't the most comforting or happiest relationship a Dom and Sub could have.

"Harry."

Harry flinched. It was the first time Louis had spoken. "Sorry," he whispered, ducking his head and crept toward the stairs that led down to the basement. He shivered; he could feel the cold temperature already.

Harry bent obediently over the small wooden desk, still quivering. He saw cuffs attached to the desk but he knew that Louis wouldn't chain him. They both knew how this would end up.

Harry shivered when he felt his trousers tugged down and Louis' hand pressed to his bottom. "Harry," he tried, but his voice cracked. "Sir, please. I'm sorry, I-I didn't mean to—OW!" He couldn't help but let out a soft yelp when Louis' hand came down harshly on his backside.

"Hush," was all Louis said before smacking his bottom again.

Harry tensed as his discipline continued. Then he began to sob. Oh, dear god. This was the worst part. He could feel the tension in the air as Louis continued. Then he heard a sharp intake of breath behind him, a muffled sob from Louis, and suddenly the Dom fled from the room.

Shakily, Harry wiped away his tears from his face, trembling, and pulled up his trousers gently, hissing slightly. Sure, he had deserved it, but he hadn't _meant_ to drench Louis in ice water and embarrass him in front of his colleagues by screwing everything up and not acting like a Sub was supposed to.

Sniffling, he curled up on the dusty old couch in the far corner, wiping away the last of the tears. He knew Louis would be back soon, with trembling apologies.

And Harry knew that he would doubt even more if the three words actually meant something.

 _I love you_.

* * *

"Nervous?"

Harry shrugged at his Dom's question as the bacon on the frying pan. Louis went to fetch the scrambled eggs and bacon, and Harry sighed, fiddling with his fork, scraping it against his knife – a bad habit of his when he got nervous. He always played with his hands.

"Don't," Louis scolded gently as he placed the full plate in front of him.

"Sorry," Harry responded sheepishly, placing them down firmly on the table.

"Orange juice or milk?" Louis paused at the fridge, glancing at the Sub, and Harry just shrugged. "Juice it is, then."

They began to eat and Harry sighed before getting the courage to glance up timidly and ask, "Will they have to separate us?"

He could see Louis; shoulders tense a bit and the Dom responded, "I'm not sure."

Harry dropped his eyes back down to his plate. The answer hadn't made him feel any better.

At around 12 at noon, the doorbell rang and Harry gulped, stiffening. He heard Louis open the front door and say, "Mr. Payne! Lovely to see you. Come in."

"What's with all the politeness?" a deep voice chuckled as the door closed. "Where's the usual grumpy little Louis Tomlinson that I know?"

"Harry!"

Harry jumped a bit before scurrying over to his Dom, gulping again and keeping his head low. He risked a glance upwards and got a stern look from Louis and a kind, almost amused look from the man beside him.

"This is Liam Payne, Harry. He's the boss of the ADS Company, an Inspector, and also one of my closest friends." Louis turned to Liam and grinned, saying, "Where's Zayn? How's your little subbie, Niall?"

"They're both fine," Liam shrugged. "Zayn is currently busy Inspecting others."

Harry swallowed when Liam turned to face him. The man seemed kind enough, but still. It was never a bad idea to be cautious around new people, even if they were Louis' friends.

"And you, how are you doing?"

"I'm fine," Harry replied and grimaced at the look Louis gave him; the one that clearly told him to behave. "Sir," he hastily added.

"Hmm." Liam just frowned a bit. Harry watched curiously as Liam turned to Louis and said bluntly, "Out, or give me a private room where I can interview you and your Sub, _separately_."

Liam seemed to catch Harry's frown and hastened to explain to both the bristling Dom and uneasy Sub. "We interview Subs and Doms separately to make sure that there's nothing going on that we could miss, such as silent looks or communication through that silent little bond most Doms and Subs have. Am I right?" When there was no reply, Liam just hummed quietly to himself before repeating, "So, Tommo, room. And I'll take Harry first."

Harry gulped.

"Upstairs, first door on the left. Don't you dare step anywhere else," Louis grumbled. He gave Harry a fond pat on his bottom, making the Sub blush and scurry after Liam as the man strode off for the stairs.

"So, Harry," Liam spoke as he pulled up a chair for himself, then indicated for Harry to sit across from him. "How have you been?"

"Good, sir," Harry murmured softly.

"Are you comfortable here?"

"Yes," Harry said immediately. It wasn't a lie, he was comfortable. After all, this was basically his home, along with his parents' house.

"Has Louis shown any signs of abuse or aggression towards you?"

"Abuse?" Harry let the word roll on his tongue. Had Louis abused him?

"Abuse such as particularly harsh punishments, no aftercare, extremely aggressive beatings—"

"Er, well, not really," Harry stammered, overwhelmed by the information the man was spewing out.

"Not really, or no?" Liam leaned forward, making Harry fidget a bit. When there was no reply, the man sighed, leaned back into his chair and murmured, "Harry. I'm here to help you. I won't make you unhappy; in fact, it'll be quite the opposite. But I need the truth. So, what's the answer? No, or not really?"

Harry hesitated before whispering, "Not really."

Liam grimaced before jotting a few notes down. Harry blinked back the slight stinging in his eyes. He was such a wimp; tearing up about nothing. But would Liam separate him from Louis? He didn't want to be taken away; he didn't want another Dom! He and Louis were a perfect match; the Matchers at the ADS had said so themselves!

"What does he do?" Liam inquired seriously, staring hard at him with eyes full of sternness that clearly told him to tell the truth. Not that he had thought about lying. "Does he beat you?"

"It's not physical!" Harry said, horrified at the thought of Louis beating him. He shivered a bit before whispering, "He leaves me." At the flare in Liam's eyes, he hurriedly elaborated. "I mean, he doesn't finish my punishments. He can't. About halfway through, he always leaves sobbing."

"And then what?" Liam was writing down notes furiously.

Harry gulped. Was he in trouble? Was Louis in trouble? "He comes back for me," Harry continued, a bit shakily. "He gives me a cup of hot cocoa and we watch a movie together, while he strokes my hair. Then he says that he loves me, but, but I don't know if it's true!" Harry grimaced; he hadn't meant for that last part to come out.

"It's true! I swear it is!" The door swung open harshly and Louis stumbled in, eyes wide and horrified. "Harry, I do love you! Please believe me, I'm not lying!"

"Louis Tomlinson! Out!" Liam thundered, glowering.

"Liam, don't tell me to get out of my own room!" Louis hissed, eyes flaring with anger. "I want to talk to you!"

"Oh, believe me, mister, we'll talk about this later," Liam seethed. "But, out, now! How dare you interrupt a private interview!"

Harry whimpered a bit at the dominance both Doms were showing. Stupid sub instincts, he thought.

Reluctantly and finally, Louis left the room slowly at the sight of a nervous and tense Harry. Harry turned immediately to Liam and begged, "Please don't separate us! I'm sorry!"

"Hush," Liam soothed. "It's okay."

Harry whimpered, curling up protectively, his knees touching his chest and arms wrapped around them. "I-I, no, y-you can't separate—p-please—don't—"

"Shhh," Liam said softly, reaching out. Harry fought the urge to flinch away and closed his eyes tightly. He trembled, feeling Liam gently comb and run his hand through his hair. "It's okay," Liam said quietly. "We won't separate you. It was me that Matched you and Louis as Dom and Sub officially. You were perfect for each other; I wouldn't dare separate you two."

Harry sniffled, listening to the quiet but stern voice as Liam continued to rake his fingers softly through his hair.

"It's just that you and Louis both lack experience." Liam tilted his chin up to meet his eyes and smiled kindly. "Isn't that it? You don't know how to serve Louis properly, and Louis doesn't know how to dominate and care for you."

"I-I think so, maybe," Harry whispered, voice cracking a little. He swallowed. His throat was parched.

Liam stroked his head one more time and said, "I have a water bottle in my bag. Hold on." He pulled away from Harry's touch, making the sub whimper softly. He dug around through his backpack until he found a water bottle.

Harry drank thirstily, and when the bottle was halfway finished he finally stopped. Then he processed Liam's words. "You … you're not going to separate Louis and me?"

"No," Liam said soothingly. "I promise." He leaned forward and said seriously, "Under normal circumstances you would be separated, but Louis has been my friend for a long time. And besides, something tells me I shouldn't separate you two. I'm sure we can work out something."

"Okay," Harry said softly. "Sir."

Liam smiled and said, "I'll see you later then, Harry."

"Yes, sir." Harry gave a small, weak smile before opening the door and stepping out of the room.

* * *

"I taught you better than this!"

"I know," Louis whispered, closing his eyes. "I'm sorry, Liam."

"Eyes open!" Liam snapped sharply, and Louis jerked, eyes snapping open quickly at Liam's sharp tone.

"I-I'm sorry," Louis stammered, swallowing the lump in his throat. Under normal circumstances, no Dom would cower under the authority of another Dom, but _everyone_ , both Subs, Doms, and Switches cowered under Zayn Malik and Liam Payne. "Liam, I swear, I was gonna tell someone—"

"Yeah? Who? When?" Liam growled sharply, narrowing his eyes. "I bet you were dreading this day, Louis Tomlinson, because you knew that I'd be furious with you when I found out!"

Louis' miserable look said the answer.

"If you were under my personal authority …" Liam trailed off with another dark look, shaking his head.

"Put me under your authority, then!" Louis blurted out. "Do it!"

Liam stopped and stared at him, obviously bewildered. "What?"

"Please, Liam, teach me again!" Louis said with a pleading look. "I want to be under your authority again, so teach me how to be a good Dom! Besides, it's not against the rules to take a less experienced Dom under your authority to teach them! Even if it was a rule, you can do whatever you want because you're the boss of the ADS!"

"Louis …" Liam was obviously flabbergasted, staring at the younger, miserable Dom in front of him. Then he seemed to regain his composure, and he said, "Alright, then. My house, Thursday, at 11 AM."

"What about Harry? Can he come?" Louis asked timidly.

"Of course." Liam rolled his eyes and smirked. "You're not gonna have my Niall as your Sub at my house, are you?"

Louis huffed and rolled his eyes. "Of course not."

"Good," Liam said with a smirk. "He's mine and Zaynie's."

"I wouldn't dare dream of stealing your precious gem," Louis said with a soft laugh.

* * *

"Nervous?"

"I guess," Harry said quietly. "How long do we have to stay with them again?"

"Until Liam and Zayn approves," Louis said. He stroked Harry's hair and said softly, "I'm so sorry, Harry."

"For what?" Harry said, frowning and looking up from his cereal. "You don't have to be sorry for anything, Harry," he added. "Even though we're all different, we're still human. You're allowed to feel scared and guilty."

"But I'm your Dom," Louis said softly, emerald green eyes still soft and round with guilt.

"And I'm your Sub," Harry said with a small grin. He leaned forward and planted a kiss on Louis' bottom lip before pulling away. "It doesn't change anything."

"I have such a wise Sub," Louis said fondly, reaching out and ruffling his hair again.

Harry just grinned.

At 9, they set off for Liam and Zayn's house. As Louis drove, he talked softly over the sound of the crackling radio as Harry watched his surroundings out of the window.

"Niall is their Sub," Louis was saying. "He's a nice, cute little lad. Very mischievous, though, it gets his ass tanned bright red by Zayn or Liam at least once a week. I'm sure you'll grow fond of him. Maybe you could even be friends."

"Mmm," Harry hummed. "I'm sure that we'll be friends."

Louis just groaned and teased, "The amount of trouble you'll get into now … oh, god."

At exactly eleven, they arrived in front of … holy crap, a _mansion_! "W-What?" Harry spluttered as Louis drove into the driveway, passing the large swimming pool and gardens.

"I know," Louis said, rolling his eyes. "Well, what do you expect, Hazza? They _are_ the owners of the ADS Company. The amount of money they get in a month …" Louis shook his head with a grin. The Dom parked the car in a large, almost like a parking lot area. "Come on, quickly now."

Harry rang the doorbell. He heard it echo in the house, and it was silent for a moment before there were the sounds of footsteps. A man opened the door, and _wow **.**_ He was hot. Unfortunately and obviously taken, though.

"Hello, Zayn," Louis said with a smile. "Long time no see? Oof!" Louis grunted when Zayn pulled him in a hug, leaving Harry to stand there awkwardly, biting his lip nervously.

"This is my Sub, Harry," Louis said, patting Harry's head gently.

Zayn greeted him with a nod. Before he could say anything though, Louis spoke up, obviously happy to see new friends. "Where's Niall? Usually he'd be jumping up and down like the hyper little boy he is."

"He's in trouble," was all Zayn said with a sigh.

Harry winced. That didn't sound very good. They were invited inside, and Harry was standing there awkwardly once more while Zayn and Louis spoke quietly to each other. The creaking sound of footsteps on stairs made Harry look up. He smiled, seeing Liam and a young boy about his age behind the Dom.

The boy had his hands behind his back in a respectful way. His eyes were red and he was sniffling a little. He walked with a slightly stiff gait – the obvious signs of a recent tanning. Harry immediately assumed this was Niall.

"Ah, Louis, Harry, you've arrived!" Liam greeted. He reached back without even looking and tugged Niall's blond hair firmly but not harshly, saying, "Greet our guests, Niall."

"Hello, sirs," Niall said softly, voice quivering a little.

Louis acknowledged the Sub with a smile, and Harry hurried to say, "Um, just Harry is fine." They were both Subs, he didn't want to make it sound like he was in a higher position or rank than Niall.

"In trouble again, Niall?" Louis shook his head, a slightly amused and exasperated look on his face. "What did you do now?"

"Trust me, you don't want to know," Zayn muttered, sending Niall a dark look, making the Sub bite his lip and look down.

"Why don't you and Harry talk, Niall?" Liam suggested, patting Niall's bum and making him hiss a bit, and then blush an even deeper shade of red. "Go on, take him to the living room. You can speak comfortably now, but don't think this is over just because our guests are here."

Niall scowled a little before saying to Harry, "C'mon, let's go."

Harry followed the other Sub at the slight nod Louis gave him when he hesitated. He decided that he was, after all, going to live in this house for possibly a few months, so he might as well start exploring now.

He followed Niall without another word.

* * *

 **End of Chapter One**

 **Author's Note: Thank you for reading! Please review, and no nasty comments, please. If you don't like it, please just press the back button, because you were warned at the beginning of the chapter that you were to read at your own risk, and it would be your responsibility. Thank you. :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**WARNINGS: A Dom exerts authority over Harry in a mall, but he doesn't make a move, he just reprimands him. Afterwards, Zayn makes sure he's okay. There is also a bit of tension in between Louis and Harry and they still have somewhat of an unhealthy relationship, but better than before.**

 **Author's Note: Updates will be every Friday! And, like before, you have been warned that this is BDSM fic and will contain moments like spanking and smut (eventually). Please make sure you read the warnings before deciding to flame.**

 **Chapter Two**

* * *

Living room, what a lie! The living room was as big as Louis' first floor!

"Are you just gonna sit there?"

Niall's dry voice jerked Harry out of his thoughts. He blinked, and said intelligently, "Uh."

Niall rolled his eyes and patted the comfy looking couch. "Sit down, honestly."

Harry sat down slowly, still trying to take in everything. Niall frowned at him. "Is it really that fascinating? It is just a house."

"A house?" Harry gaped at him. "This is a mansion!"

Niall just hummed and shrugged. "It's my home." He shifted slightly in his seat and let out a soft hiss, reaching back unashamedly to rub at his obviously sore backside.

Harry tsked sympathetically. "What'd you do?"

Niall smirked. "Talk back to Zayn and be rude, then throw a cup at him because I was pissed." The blonde sub just rolled his eyes and grumbled, "Honestly, such a bitc—"

"Don't you even dare finish that word, Niall Horan," Zayn growled, stepping into the room and narrowing his eyes, crossing his arms across his chest.

"Sorry, sir," Niall said softly, staring at the carpet.

"Do we need to review the rules again?"

"No, sir," Niall murmured, fiddling with his fingers.

"What's the rule about swearing?"

"No swearing outside of the bedroom, sir," Niall deadpanned.

Zayn just sighed and shook his head, looking exasperated at his Sub.

Harry swallowed and shifted uncomfortably. The tension between the Dom and Sub was obvious; it was still clear that Niall was still in trouble. Harry gulped when he saw the icy look in Zayn's eyes, and was relieved that the glare wasn't directed at him. A look like that directed towards him – he would have broken down sobbing by now.

"Harry, you're welcome to find a room to your liking. You can ask Liam for help, while Niall and I have a little discussion about _respect_." Zayn shot Niall another look, emphasizing the last word, and Harry couldn't help but wince a little in sympathy.

Harry left quickly, leaving Niall alone with a stern looking Zayn, and peeked into what he assumed was the kitchen. He found Liam reading a book and sipping a cup of tea. He shifted awkwardly, not sure of what to do, and scuffled his feet.

Liam looked up, and then smiled at him. "Hey, Harry! Come in."

Harry stepped into slowly, and then stood stiffly in front of him. Liam looked puzzled, and then realization flickered across his face. "You don't know how to act in front of me." It wasn't a question.

Harry bit his lip and shrugged a bit, picking at his bottom lip.

"Sit down," Liam said with a small grin. "Be comfortable."

Harry sat down and leaned back against the chair, trying to ignore the sounds of Zayn's soft scolding and Niall's subdued, sulky, ' _Yes, sir_ ', ' _No, sir_ ', or ' _I'm sorry, sir_ '.

"Zayn told me to ask you about which room I should stay in," Harry began softly.

"Any room on the second floor is fine," Liam said with a kind smile. "You can have a look around the entire house if you want."

Footsteps interrupted what Harry was about to say, and Louis appeared in the doorway. He had a loose dark blue sweater on, and comfortable looking sweatpants. His hair was curly and messed up as always. Harry shifted awkwardly. He wasn't sure of how to behave in front of Liam.

"Louis," Liam greeted. "Sit down, we need to talk."

Louis shuffled past Harry, and when his fingers brushed against Harry's shoulder accidentally, they both flinched and Harry tensed. He flushed when he realized that Liam was observing them with narrowed, sharp eyes.

"There's something we have to discuss," Liam said, leaning forward and staring at the both of them hard. "Rules."

 _Oh._ Harry wilted a bit. He wasn't good at rules.

"I don't have that many. Harry, if you need to know more, you can always ask me or Niall, or Zayn. Same for you as well, Lou. Rule number one, respect." Liam looked at them sternly. "Respect is something that everyone in the house must give to one another."

"Also a rule that this little one hasn't been obeying very well lately." Zayn entered the kitchen and sat down, tugging a sullen-looking Niall onto his lap before kissing his head affectionately.

"Rule number two: Your safety is always first, no matter what I tell you. I mean it. If you're in the middle of being punished but you feel uncomfortable, or you feel like you can't handle more, then you safeword immediately. Understood?"

"Yes," Harry said softly.

"You'll be using the stoplight system as your safeword. Green means good, we can continue. Yellow means you want me to pause until you're ready, or if you feel uncomfortable with what I'm doing. Red means stop immediately. Is that all understood?"

"Yes," Harry repeated, shooting a quick look of curiosity at Louis, who had on a poker-face.

"Third, no lying. _Absolutely_ no lying. Trust is essential to have a bond between a Dom and a Sub. Lying breaks that off. Lying will immediately result in punishment the moment we have a private moment or place. Hiding the truth also classifies as lying, so don't try to wriggle out of discipline by using that tactic.

"You should immediately tell one of us if you feel uncomfortable about something because if we do something that's not something you enjoy, such as a kink you feel uncomfortable about, it technically classifies as abuse – especially if it's a hard limit. Do you understand, Harry?"

"Yeah, yeah," Harry said. "Er, I mean, yes." He corrected himself immediately when he saw Zayn and Louis both look at him hard, Louis with a frown and Zayn with a slightly crooked eyebrow. He supposed he'd had somewhat of a disrespectful tone.

Niall giggled and reached out to pinch his cheek. "You're cute when you blush, you know."

"He's mine, Ni," Louis said, running his long fingers through Harry's soft hair, and the Sub grinned after stiffening a bit, deciding that Louis wouldn't – or rather, he couldn't - harm him. At least he was still loved.

* * *

The first few days, Harry was quite comfortable, but he remained quiet and respectful. He was peering out the window, on the bed on his stomach. He heard two knocks, and then the door opened. It was Zayn.

According to Niall, Zayn was stricter than Liam and had the worst and most creative punishments, but he was a nice and caring Dom.

"Hi," Harry said, a bit awkward.

Zayn gave him a smile and sat down on the bed, reaching out and ruffling his hair. Harry pushed into the touch, almost purring, enjoying it. He liked it when a Dom ran their fingers through his hair. He let out a soft whimper, almost a moan, when Zayn scratched at an amazingly pleasant spot on his scalp.

"Enjoying this, hmm?" Zayn smirked, and patted his bottom affectionately. "You're cute. I can see why Louis likes you."

Harry grinned like a little kid back at the Dom. "Loubear?" He laughed.

Zayn grinned back.

"Did you need something?" Harry asked, realizing that the Dom wouldn't be in here without a particular reason.

Zayn grunted, and absentmindedly reached forward again and played with his locks. "Ni and I are going shopping. Niall likes to buy new clothes … and other items." Here he gave Harry a wink, making the Sub blush. "I was wondering if you wanted to come with us."

"What about Louis and Liam?" Louis bit his lip. He didn't want to anger any of them.

"They need some private time. They'll be busy for the entire afternoon."

"Oh." Harry nibbled on his lip again before saying, "I suppose if it's alright with Louis and you, I want to join." He reached out for the plastic bottle of water that was always on his nightstand. He gulped down the water thirstily; a habit of his when he was nervous.

"Of course you can join us," Zayn said with another smile. "You uncomfortable about going into a sex shop?"

Harry choked at the sudden question, going red in the face, half because of embarrassment and half because of the water. Zayn patted his back, helping him, and Harry croaked out a, "Thank you."

Zayn just smirked and said, "So? Your answer?"

Harry rolled his eyes and said, "Well, I'm obviously going to be in the bedroom with Louis eventually, so, nope, I don't care. I'm in. It's only items they'll be selling, right?"

Zayn nodded, and smirked even bigger. He pinched Harry's bum, and said, "Getting cheeky, are we? You've been spending too much time with Nialler."

Harry pretended he hadn't heard the last comment (mostly because it was true), and just squealed and swatted at Zayn's fingers. Zayn chuckled and ruffled his hair. "Get ready, Curly. We're going shopping."

Fifteen minutes later, Harry, Zayn, and Niall were in a spacious car. To Harry's surprise, Zayn got into the driver's seat. Niall seemed to beam, and said, "Sir! You're driving? Can I sit in the front?"

"No," Zayn replied, starting the car. "Sit with Harry."

Niall whined and pouted. "But, sir, I _want_ to sit in the front!" Leaning over to Harry, he whispered loudly, "He looks really sexy when he drives. Usually he just makes Paul do it, but I think he's feeling a bit happy today."

Harry giggled.

Straightening and clearing his throat, Niall said, "Please, Zaynie? Please, sir?"

"Niall," Zayn sighed, running a hand through his quiff as he drove out of the driveway and into the road. "I gave you my answer; it's not going to change. Besides, we're already moving."

Niall just pouted. "Hmph!"

Harry winced at the look on Zayn's face and tapped Niall's knee, trying to warn him that his Dom's face had tightened a little - a warning sign that his patience was being tested, and not in a good way. "If you continue pouting, I'll just drop you off back at home and go with Harry. Is that what you want?"

"No," Niall muttered reluctantly.

"That's what I thought. Now, stop sulking. This is supposed to be a fun trip."

Niall just sighed.

Harry grimaced and tried to lighten up the mood. He said the first thing that came out of his mouth. "What are Louis and Liam doing?" _Excellent,_ _Harry_ _Styles. Smartest thing to ask a Dom who's slowly headed towards 'pissed off' right now. Good job._

Zayn glanced at him through the rear-view mirror and replied, "Training."

"Oh." Harry really couldn't think of another answer.

After a few more turns and more driving, they arrived at a shop with a huge sign in the front that read ' _Busy Bodies' Solution_ '. Harry smirked at the ironic name. Busy bodies, indeed.

It was less crowded than he had expected, which he was slightly happy for. He didn't want to meet anyone he recognized and find them in the sex shop, not to mention he definitely didn't want to know _what_ they were buying. Harry shuddered.

Harry then jerked, realizing that Zayn and Niall had gone off somewhere, probably to find some new … toys. Harry found it awkward looking through the store, especially when he found Niall and Zayn in the corner together.

"Hey, Harry! Found anything to your liking yet?" Niall turned around, grinning, with a dildo in his hand.

Harry blushed. "No, I haven't."

Niall tsked. "Come on, I'll help you pick something out."

Helplessly, Harry got dragged along. As he was dragged past Zayn, he sent the Dom a look that clearly said, ' _help me_ '. The Dom just shrugged and watched them go.

"I really don't know, Niall!" Harry argued.

Niall gave an exaggerated sigh. "Curly, just choose one!" He gestured toward the rows of butt plugs, making Harry flush.

Harry gave Niall a look, raising his eyebrow. "Curly?" he repeated indignantly.

Niall ignored him and asked, "Well, okay, how many times have you been in bed with him?"

Harry gave him a puzzled look. "We've never slept together."

Niall groaned and face-palmed himself, obviously frustrated. "How many times have you had sex with him, Harry Edward Styles? For goodness sake, how are you so innocent?"

Harry blushed for the hundredth time today and murmured, "I've never … you know."

Niall gave him a slightly surprised look, and when Harry just stared back at him, he just smirked and finally sighed, grabbing a small plug. "Begin with this," Niall informed him. "It's a good start."

Niall didn't give him a choice, handing the plug to Zayn so he could pay. Harry trailed behind the Dom and Sub. He knew that Niall was sassy, but he had never known that he was so bossy as well.

After paying, they finally went to buy clothes – somewhere decent where Harry didn't feel as awkward, he thought wryly. He thought wrong.

When he found Niall and Zayn picking out panties, he quickly did a turn and went toward the jeans section. He picked out a pair of black skinny jeans, but then he realized that Zayn would be the one who would buy all his stuff.

Feeling bad, he put the jeans back reluctantly and made his way toward the pair. He paused when Zayn laughed at whatever Niall had said, ruffling his hair. Envy bubbled inside him. Why couldn't he and Louis feel that kind of bond?

"Hey, Curly, come here!" Niall called.

Smiling at the fond but slightly annoying nickname, Harry made his way toward the pair. In their cart was a pile of panties of different colours and designs, as well as some shirts and pants, and a pair of dark gray jeans that looked like Zayn's size.

"You didn't pick out anything," Zayn noted with a frown. "Why's that?"

Harry just shrugged, biting his lip. "Didn't want to waste your money," he mumbled.

Zayn just sighed and said, "Harry."

"Sorry," Harry murmured, giving the Dom an apologetic look through his lashes.

"C'mon, I'll help you pick some out," was all Niall said.

To Harry's horror, the other Sub dragged him over to the panties section. Thankfully, there wasn't anyone else besides them, but still - panties!

"Choose this one," Niall said, shoving a pair of emerald green lace panties. "It'll bring out your eye color. Now, come on. Choose two pairs of jeans, and some shirts."

Harry snatched the black skinny jeans he had chosen before, and another pair of light gray jeans, simply doing as Niall told him to as Zayn watched fondly. Harry ended up choosing an emerald green shirt as well. As Niall had said, it would look good on him and bring out his eye color. Then he chose three other comfortable looking shirts, two short sleeves and one long sleeve and handed them to Zayn.

His shirts were all had a V-neck. Niall had said that it would look sexier and more appealing to Louis, which Harry figured wasn't a wrong fact. It _was_ true that men looked hotter in V-necks.

Harry was feeling quite comfortable and relaxed until they went up to the cashier. He looked at the man curiously. He looked exhausted. Feeling sympathetic for the man, he continued gazing thoughtfully.

The man suddenly looked up, and scowled. Harry flinched, suddenly feeling scared. "Do something about your little subbie," the man growled at Zayn, continuing to glare at Harry. "He looked at me in the eye."

Harry's jaw dropped open. Was that really such a crime? At Niall's slight nudge, he closed his mouth again, still feeling a bit resentful and all sympathy for the man gone.

Zayn remained calm, though. All he said was, "I apologize. I'm sorry; I'll make sure to discipline him properly." He turned to Harry with a cold look in his eyes and said, "Submissive, apologize this instant."

Harry stared at Zayn disbelievingly for a few moments. Zayn just raised an eyebrow and growled, "Apologize or I'll discipline you here and now."

Harry managed to jerk out of his shock and he dropped his eyes, murmuring, "Sorry, sir," to the man.

The man just harrumphed.

Harry tried not to let tears fill his eyes, feeling the stinging behind his eyes. Zayn had looked mad. He had looked cold and furious.

Zayn just gave the man a nod and called for Niall to help carry the bags. He looked back at Harry and said, "Come on. We're leaving." He still had that cold tone.

Harry stumbled after Zayn, still shocked and confused. He had never seen Zayn like that. Even when he had been scolding Niall for any misdeed that he had done, he had never looked that cold.

The moment they got into the car, Zayn sent Niall to load the bags into the trunk while he beckoned Harry into the backseat. "I'm sorry!" Harry blurted, his bottom lip trembling. "I didn't mean to; I didn't know that was so bad!"

"Shhh," Zayn soothed with a small smile, all trace of coldness gone. "I'm not mad. I was never angry."

"But you said you'd punish me and you looked really angry," Harry whispered, biting his lip.

Zayn sighed and ran his fingers through Harry's curls, giving his scalp a good scratch here and there, sending Goosebumps up Harry's spine. "Harry, some Doms still like to be traditional. They find that eye contact is a sign of disrespect. Obviously, that Dom was traditional. I had to at least fake being angry at you, or else he would have probably scolded you himself. Or do something worse."

Harry frowned. "You could have argued with him," he said softly.

Zayn just sighed. "The Dom was obviously exhausted from working. I didn't need to get into a fight with him. What good would that have done?"

"Not much, I suppose," Harry said softly, seeing Zayn's point.

Zayn tipped his chin up with a finger, gazing at Harry with those warm, piercing brown eyes of his. "You understand that I'm not and I was never mad with you, right?"

"Yes," Harry replied quietly.

"Are you okay?" Zayn asked, concern seeping into his tone.

"Fine," Harry responded.

Zayn ruffled his hair one last time and said, "Let's go home. You looked exhausted."

Harry gave him a smile, but when Zayn turned his back, he just frowned. Niall climbed into the backseat when Zayn left and mouthed, "You good, Curly?"

Harry smiled and nodded. He let his head drop on the headrest.

He was exhausted.

* * *

 **End of Chapter Two**

 **Author's Note: Please review! Comments are always welcome. Thanks! :) updates will be on Fridays!**


	3. Chapter 3

**WARNINGS FOR THE CHAPTER: WARNINGS FOR THE CHAPTER: Liam has to discipline Niall. He gives twenty smacks with his hand and ten with the paddle. Harry and Louis are improving, but still. Not as touchy-touchy as Liam/Zayn/Niall.**

* * *

"What should you do if the Sub has 'dropped'?"

"Aftercare, I suppose," Louis responded, watching Liam intently as the older Dom paced the room as he shot questions at Louis.

"What is aftercare?"

"Aftercare is basically comfort," Louis said slowly. "If a Sub drops, they'll have negative thoughts so you can make them feel better and loved by touching and cuddling and anything else they need."

Looking satisfied, Liam gave a nod. "Good. You remember most things. That means I won't have to teach much. You're just lacking experience." Liam sighed and sat down beside him on the couch. "You're gonna get lots of it, too." The older Dom smirked.

Louis groaned. "What exactly does that mean?" He huffed.

Liam just smirked even wider and he opened his mouth to reply, but the sound of shuffling and the door opening interrupted him. "That must be Zayn with the boys," Liam commented. "Come on." He stood up and headed for the front door.

* * *

Harry put the panties and butt plug in his closet, where he knew no one would find it. Especially Louis. Not that he minded, but still. It was awkward.

It wasn't abnormal for a Sub and Dom to not have had sex before, but most pairs did after three months passed. After all, they did get close with each other and lots of Subs were quite needy.

Harry wasn't that much of a needy type but that didn't mean he hated affection. He loved whenever Louis ran his long, nimble fingers through his curls, petting them and telling him that he loved him.

Harry just wished he could believe those words were true. Or at least held some meaning behind them.

He didn't blame Louis for anything that was happening between the two of them. After all, they were both inexperienced. He just wished he could have the lifestyle Niall had.

"You want my life?" Niall scoffed beside him.

Harry blinked, surprised. He hadn't realized he had been speaking his thoughts out loud. How embarrassing.

"Why not?" was all Harry settled on.

"Zayn and Liam have high expectations. And, well, being the Sub of the bosses of the ADS, I can't fool around in public. At least, I try not to. I can't ruin my Doms' images in public like that."

"Oh." Harry frowned. "That must be a lot of pressure."

"Hey, Hazza, come here! I need to talk to you."

That was Louis' voice. Only Louis called him that nickname. Feeling bad, he sent an apologetic look to Niall, he headed upstairs. He didn't feel so horrible after Niall just waved him off, pointing at himself and then jerking his head to Zayn, making a kissing motion with a smirk. Gagging, Harry hurried upstairs.

He found Louis and Liam upstairs in Louis' room, which was across from his own. Harry shut the door behind him and said, "Did you need something?"

Liam just remained quiet, continuing to read his book but with a small smirk on his face. Louis just shrugged and said, "How was your shopping trip with Zayn and Ni?"

"Good, I suppose," Harry answered, slightly puzzled. "Uh, what's going on?"

Louis just sighed and said, "In Liam's point of view, he thinks we should have at least an hour of spending time with each other, wherever or whenever, so I thought we might as well do it now."

"Oh," Harry said. He shifted uncomfortably, his foot twitching as he jiggled it. The room _reeked_ of awkwardness and he hated awkward moments like this.

The painful hour was over, with the Dom and Sub talking to each other awkwardly, giving Liam glances as the other Dom just ignored them and read his book, with a little smirk on his face.

"You're evil," was all Harry whispered to Liam as the hour finished.

Liam just shrugged and smiled innocently, saying, "I'm helping you two."

Harry just immaturely stuck his tongue out and left the room. He went to knock on Niall's room, which was more like a dining room than a bedroom, and gagged when he heard moaning from inside.

" _Z-Zayyyyyyn! Ughhh, p-please_ …"

"Ugh," Harry choked, gagging, before he hurried away. He was just thankful he hadn't walked in on them.

Exhausted, he threw himself onto his bed for a quick nap until dinner.

* * *

"Harry! Niall! Downstairs, please!"

Harry blinked, yawning as Zayn's voice rang throughout the entire house. He rubbed his eyes, not caring about his messy appearance and just headed downstairs.

"Zayn?" he yawned, ignoring Niall's snarky comment of, "What are you, a baby? Napping?"

Instead, he said to Zayn, after shooting a glare at Niall, "Did you need something?"

"Sorry, I must have woken you up," the Dom apologized.

"It's okay," Harry assured him. "It was about time anyway. What did you need me for?"

"I want you two to help prepare for dinner in the kitchen. Liam's in there cooking and I need to do some paperwork. I'm sure he wouldn't mind having two extra pairs of hands."

"Ugh," Niall huffed. "Zayn! I don't want to; you know I hate cooking!"

"Niall," Zayn said patiently, though his voice did sound a bit strained. "Please go and help Liam in the kitchen."

"Ugh!" Niall rolled his eyes, shooting the Dom a disrespectful look. Zayn's face tightened, so Harry quickly grabbed Niall by the arm and dragged him into the kitchen.

"Curly!" Niall whined.

"Shut up," Harry said, nudging the other Sub affectionately.

"Hey, did you come to help?" Liam smiled at them and said, "Harry, you can come help me chop up the vegetables. Niall, please go and set the table."

"Fine," Niall huffed, pouting like a little kid.

Harry took a knife and started to chop the carrots. Judging from the ingredients, it seemed like dinner would be some kind of a soup. As he chopped, he vaguely heard Liam speaking to a particularly annoyed Sub.

"Niall, drop the attitude," Liam was saying lowly, "and do it now, before I get Zayn to put you in your place."

"Oh, that's all I am, huh? I'm just a slave to you? One that you can order around and I just follow them like I've been brainwashed? Okay, sure, where do I sign up? Considering you and Zayn are _huge_ jerks, I can't wait to—"

"Okay, that's enough!" Liam snapped, not bothering to lower his voice.

Harry jumped and bit his lip. Niall was in for it now.

"Go to your room, right now! You can expect to have dinner in there alone!"

"Fine!" a teary voice yelled back, and Niall stomped away, throwing down the spoons and forks he had been reluctantly setting.

"Honestly, that kid," Liam muttered, visibly fuming.

"Maybe he wants attention?" Harry offered, glancing at Liam uncertainly.

"Well, he's gonna get attention now, alright," Liam muttered.

Harry pushed the carrots to one side and chopped up the onions, blinking back stinging tears as he chopped at it. "Are you really gonna make him have dinner alone?" Harry asked as he shoved the onions away from him as fast as possible, relieved to be finished chopping that particular ingredient.

"Yes," Liam said without hesitating as he checked the water that was boiling. "And tan his ass until he's quite sorry for his attitude."

"Oh," was all Harry could say. He winced. Louis hadn't disciplined him much, but when he did, he had a strong arm. Though he had never gotten a full discipline, only about half of what he usually deserved since Louis always fled.

Harry understood though. No one was perfect. He just sometimes wished that things could be a bit different.

"I want you and Louis to watch."

"What?" Harry gaped at the Dom, nearing dropping the knife he had made to drop in the sink since he was finished cutting up the vegetables.

"I want you and Lou to watch," Liam repeated, brushing all of the chopped vegetables in the pot. "It'll help teach you two how it should be. Niall's okay with it. It's not like Lou hasn't seen him with his bum roasted and it was a matter of time for you anyway."

"Uh," Harry stammered.

"It's not a suggestion." Liam shrugged and smiled. "Trust me. It'll help you two."

When dinner was finished being made, Harry and Liam placed the finished results on the table, and Liam poured some soup and grabbed a bottle of water for Niall. He placed bread and meat on the plate, and put all of it on a tray. Sympathetic but not wanting to interrupt Niall's obvious discipline, he just called for Zayn and Louis.

Dinner was quiet without the usual bubbly Sub in his seat. Harry shot Liam unsure glances, biting his lip after he finished his plate.

To his dismay Zayn went to the living room to read a book while he waited for the others to finish, and Liam went upstairs, probably to talk with Niall. There was an awkward silence between Louis and Harry.

"Seconds, Harry?" Louis asked, breaking the silence as he made move to take Harry's plate.

"No, I'm okay," Harry mumbled. He wasn't in the mood to eat.

Louis just sat down and sighed. "What's wrong?"

"I'm just …" Harry bit his lip and muttered, "It's nothing."

"You know, I might not seem like it, but I _am_ your Dom. I have every right to discipline you as I see fit, and I don't appreciate lying. Come on, tell me, Hazza. I won't get mad," Louis said, dropping in the nickname to take the sting out of his words.

Harry dropped his gaze, feeling guilty. He hadn't meant to lie. Stupid Sub instincts. Now he felt horrible for lying to his Dom. "I guess … I just kinda wish sometimes it wasn't like this between us."

There was a silence and Harry didn't dare lift his head. Then soft and nimble fingers lifted Harry's chin, making emerald green eyes meet equally beautiful soft blue eyes. Neither said anything.

Then, Louis leaned over the table and pressed his lips gently against Harry's after a second of hesitation. Harry's eyes fluttered shut and he leaned into the kiss.

"Ah! Save it for the bedroom, _please_!" Liam exclaimed, covering his eyes as he entered the dining room.

The Dom and Sub broke apart, blushing red. Harry noticed that Niall was behind Liam, his hands behind his back and his eyes staring at the ground. It didn't seem like he had been crying, but perhaps he had been scolded. Harry could tell by the look on his face.

"Is everyone finished?" Zayn asked, coming into the room, raising an eyebrow when he saw a fully subdued Niall. "We can all head downstairs?"

 _Downstairs?_ Harry frowned. He assumed Zayn meant the basement. He shivered from past memories of his punishments in the basement.

"I'm sorry," Niall whispered. He sent his Doms a pleading look, blinking rapidly as if trying to prevent tears. He probably was. "I'm really sorry, please! I won't do it again!"

"Quiet," was all Liam said sharply, making the Sub's head drop.

Harry shivered at Liam's icy Dom tone, and he pressed a bit closer to Louis. His Dom hesitated at first, but then pressed his hand onto Harry's head, rubbing gently as if trying to comfort him.

It was almost as if they hadn't kissed a few minutes ago.

Five minutes later, the five of them were in the basement. There were lots of … machines and materials downstairs that made Harry blush furiously. He and Louis were directed by Liam to sit down on the small couch while Zayn handcuffed a naked and teary Niall to spanking chair. After some threats about the belt, the Sub had stripped off his clothes quickly.

There were comfy spots for his knees and a wide, even comfier space where Niall could rest his upper body while he was handcuffed. At least Niall wouldn't be overly uncomfortable.

The whole time as Zayn cuffed him, Niall was whimpering. He probably felt guilty about how he had spoken to Liam. Harry knew exactly how he felt. Subs felt guilty about every single thing they had done the moment that disobedient and cheeky phase disappeared. The feeling was amplified by at least ten times after a good scolding.

Harry shivered when Zayn handed Liam a paddle silently. Liam stepped forward, and reached out, caressing the Sub gently. He walked around a trembling Niall and let his hand settle in Niall's fluffy hair.

"Why are we here, Niall James?" Zayn asked from where he was leaning against the wall, arms crossed and eyebrows furrowed sternly. Harry dubbed it his 'scolding-face'.

"We're here because I deserve discipline," Niall answered softly. Harry could almost hear his gulp and him trying to hold back tears.

"And why do you deserve discipline?" Liam asked, hand fisting in Niall's hair firmly. The Dom tugged, then, rubbed Niall's scalp as if trying to take away the sting.

"Because I was rude and disrespectful, and that's not allowed."

"Mm." Liam released his hand from Niall's hair where it had fisted again into a firm grip, and drew away, making the Sub shudder a little. "You'll be getting twenty with my hand and then ten with the paddle. You'll count the ones with the paddle, but you're welcome to do as you wish during the ones with my hand – that is, you may remain silent, or you may cry out. No swearing, no disrespect, and the rules still remain. Do you understand?"

"Yes, sir," Niall whispered.

"We begin."

Harry flinched a bit at the first smack with Liam's hand. He heard Niall's sharp intake of breath. Liam had a poker-face on, but Harry was sure that he must be feeling extremely reluctant to do this. Doms and Subs both hated this. Doms hated the fact that he had to discipline his Sub, and Subs hated the fact that they would be disciplined.

Harry let his eyes flick to Zayn. Zayn looked calm, but his eyes betrayed his pain at watching his Sub being disciplined. Wincing in sympathy, he made a soft sound and pressed close to the person nearest to him – Louis.

The Dom froze for a moment, before he began to play with Harry's curls comfortingly.

By the time the fifth spank landed, Niall was twitching with each smack, and on smack six, he let out a soft whimper that stabbed at Harry's heart painfully. It pained him to see his friend be disciplined, though he doubted it would be the last time. As if Louis understood how he felt, he rubbed the back of Harry's neck, making Harry let out a moan and shudder a bit.

Flushing bright red at his sensitivity, Harry bit his lip and caught Louis and Zayn sharing a smirk. He pouted at the Doms, making them smirk even more. Harry stuck his tongue out at Zayn, feeling cheeky, flinching once more when Liam continued Niall's discipline even though the Sub had started to weep quietly.

"Hey," Louis said sharply in a low tone when he caught Harry sticking out his tongue. "That's rude. Apologize to Zayn."

Harry pouted. "It was a joke," he argued softly, trying not to be disruptive to Liam and Niall.

Zayn just gave a small smile and said, "Yeah, Lou, it's fine. I don't mind cheeky little Subs as long as they don't actually mean it."

Louis just sighed, giving a quick glance to Liam and Niall when it seemed like Liam had landed the last smack with his hand.

Harry decided to stay quiet, nibbling on his bottom lip as Louis absentmindedly tugged lightly on his curls as if trying to show some side of dominance.

"Colour, Niall?" Harry heard Liam say softly.

"G-Green, sir," Niall whimpered, wiping his face hastily with his arms when he caught Harry looking sympathetically.

"Very well, then," Liam said. He gave Zayn a look and the other Dom went somewhere, then returned with a leather paddle.

Harry felt a shiver go up his spine and he silently promised himself that he wouldn't get into trouble – that paddle looked scary. He supposed Niall did deserve it, but that didn't mean he didn't feel sympathetic.

 _Smack!_

Harry felt Louis stiffen a little and he couldn't help but wince too. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Zayn with a poker-face, but his eyes swimming with emotion. It was obvious that Niall's discipline was affecting his Doms too, but they were doing a good job of hiding it.

"Two!" Niall cried out. "Three, sir!"

Harry bit his lip, swallowing when Niall collapsed on the spanking bench, sobbing. "S-Sir, please, I'm … I-I-I'm s-sorry!"

Liam cracked down another smack, making the Sub wail miserably. "Number, Ni," Liam said, voice soft.

Niall sniffled. "F-Four."

Ten minutes later, with lots of wailing, sobbing, apologies, and persuading, Niall's discipline was finished.

Harry watched as Liam put away the leather paddle while Zayn released a sobbing Niall from the bench. "Sorry," Niall was sobbing. "S-Sorry! D-Didn't m-mean to. R-Really sorry."

"Shhh, I know," Zayn hushed, leading the Sub to the couch with Liam close behind.

Harry realized he was clutching to Louis' shirt, so he let go with a muttered apology, instead watching Zayn and Liam sit on the opposite of them with Niall in between.

"Shhhh," Liam soothed, running his hand through Niall's soft hair, pressing a kiss to his slightly sweaty forehead. "All over. I love you."

Harry knew that Zayn and Liam were providing aftercare for Niall. A spark of jealousy flickered in his heart when a soft voice whispered, ' _too bad Louis hasn't ever done that for you. Because he just runs off before he even finishes your discipline_ '.

 _Shut up_ , Harry tells the voice firmly. _Louis loves me._

But he didn't know if he believed it.

The look in Zayn or Liam's eyes when they told Niall how sweet he was, and how much they loved him was nothing compared to Louis' occasional three words.

Did Louis actually mean it?

Harry's heart sank when he realized that he was beginning to distance himself from his Dom. Just when he thought things would get better, especially after that kiss on the lips moment they had shared.

Great.

He hated the feeling of jealousy that stabbed at his heart with each thump, the question lingering in his head.

 _How would it feel to be properly disciplined and cared for?_

* * *

 **End of Chapter Three**

 **Author's Note: Please review! Thanks to everyone who read!**


	4. Chapter 4

**WARNINGS FOR THE CHAPTER: Spanking - with a hand and five smacks with the paddle. Also, some coarse language, but not too bad.**

 **Author's note: Please leave a review at the end! It would be appreciated. I hope you enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

"I-I wanna be a little."

Niall's softly uttered words caught Harry's attention. He frowned, puzzled. What in the world was 'a little'? He watched Zayn and Liam exchange glances. Louis clearly knew what it meant as well, judging from the look on his face.

"Now, Nialler?" Zayn asked, exchanging another look with Liam.

"Mmm," Niall hummed, blinking and looking a bit drowsy.

"Okay," Liam said softly, shooting a look toward Harry and Louis. "Ni, is three minutes enough for you to go under?"

"Yeah," Niall mumbled.

There was silence for the first minute, and then Harry couldn't resist the temptation. He bit his lip before whispering to Louis, "What's a little?"

"Watch and see," Louis said softly. "It's kind of captivating how much he can change."

Curiosity biting at his mind, Harry watched as Niall shifted a little, eyelashes fluttering with each tender blink. Zayn stroked Niall's hair and said softly, "You under?"

"D-Daddy?"

Harry watched, breath held. Daddy? Niall had the mindset of a baby? Of course. He wanted to smack himself for being so stupid. The word clearly said it all: little.

"How old are you, Ni?"

Niall silently held up three fingers.

He was three. Harry watched, captivated just like Louis had said, as Zayn tenderly set down the boy.

The boy giggled a little when Zayn released him with a slight tickle, making the others smile fondly. Harry couldn't help but laugh too when Niall scampered over to him and tugged his hand.

"Harreh?" Niall asked, sticking a finger in his mouth with a cute little grin. "Let's go play!"

Harry glanced at the Doms in the room for permission, but when they just kept smiling fondly, he decided it was a 'yes' and allowed Niall to drag him upstairs.

"You wanna colour?" Niall asked, still in that adorable tone. "Sometimes Daddy gives me dinosaur drawings to colour and if I'm good Papa gives me a cookie secretly without telling Daddy."

"What? Zayn!" Liam's voice drifted upstairs.

Harry grinned. He could almost imagine Zayn raising his hands and trying to look as innocent as possible.

"Harreh!"

Harry looked down at Niall who was now whining for him to hurry up. "Sorry, Ni," Harry said with a smile. "I was just lost in my thoughts like an idiot. I'm stupid, aren't I?"

To his surprise, Niall gasped and exclaimed, "Harreh! You said a bad word! I'm telling Daddy!" He ran off, leaving the crayons and the dinosaur drawing.

Harry stood there awkwardly, not sure of what to do. Would Liam actually be mad at him? Stupid wasn't a swear word, technically, though he did suppose in the vocabulary of a three year old, it would be the worst word possible.

"Daddyyyyyy! Harreh said a naughty word!" he heard Niall whine to Liam in the kitchen. Harry heard Zayn and Louis snickering from the kitchen.

"Did he indeed?" Liam said, and Harry could almost see the raised eyebrow. "Well, go tell him that if he says that naughty word again, he'll be in very big trouble!"

"And if he says it again, we'll have to silence him," Zayn said with a smirk and glancing toward Harry, who had sat down on the couch.

Harry stuck his tongue out at the Dom.

"You're gonna make him be quiet?" Niall asked, sounding exactly like a three year old. "Are you gonna shove something in his mouth to make him be quiet?" Niall giggled. "If you put something in his mouth, Daddy, he'll be quiet! Nialler's so smart!"

Harry heard Zayn and Louis burst into laughter, while Liam was obviously trying not to laugh at the innocent tone yet dirty words while he replied. "Yeah, my Nialler's so smart, isn't he? Now, go and play with Harry while Daddy makes dinner."

"'Kay," Niall mumbled.

Harry saw Zayn whisper something into Louis' ear. It was obviously something dirty, since Louis smacked Zayn on the shoulder, going bright red while Zayn snickered.

"Harreh! I can't find my blue crayon!" Niall whined.

"Why don't you make the dinosaur a different colour, then, Ni?" Harry said, pulling out his phone and absentmindedly went on his social media.

"Noooooo! Harreh! The dinosaur needs to be blue 'cause my other dinosaur drawings are red and yellow and green!"

When Harry didn't respond, Niall jumped up and tugged Harry's sleeve. "Harreh! Pleeeeaaase? Help me look?"

"Alright, alright," Harry sighed. He reluctantly turned his phone off and helped Niall. Ten minutes later, they found the blue crayon under the sofa and Harry went back to scrolling through his social media.

A few minutes later, Liam called that dinner was ready, and Harry and Niall headed to the kitchen.

"Dinner's ready, baby," Liam smiled. "You want to stay as Little Niall or come back as Big Niall?"

Niall chewed on his lip for a while before saying, "Little Niall."

"Okay, then," Liam agreed easily. "Sit in between Papa and Uncle Louis, Niall."

Niall obediently sat down and Harry's seat was in between Louis and Liam. The whole time during dinner Niall kept fooling around, flicking pieces of peas and broccoli at Zayn and Harry. After a bit, Liam finally seemed to reach the end of his patience.

"Niall, hush down a bit, will you?" Liam scolded. "You're disrupting everyone who's trying to eat. Do you want to be in the corner?"

"No," Niall mumbled, looking crestfallen. "Sorry, Daddy."

Liam just sighed and directed Niall to eat his food.

* * *

The next day, Liam and Louis left at eleven to go who knows where. "They always keep secrets," Harry grumbled silently to himself, throwing his body on the couch and joining Niall at the TV.

Niall was nibbling on an apple while his eyes were fixed on the Avengers movie he had turned on. Zayn was in the kitchen making lunch.

The Dom called them in, and Harry stomped inside, feeling a bit grumpy. He plopped down on the chair and began to drum his fingers loudly on the table.

"Harry, please, _stop that_." Zayn groaned, sounding exasperated.

Harry just ignored the Dom, instead continuing the irritating tapping he was doing on the table with his fingers as the Dom set the table for lunch. It wasn't anything special, just ham and cheese, and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Not exactly his favourite; he preferred Louis' tuna sandwiches.

Normally he would have just eaten the sandwiches because they were okay, but today he just wasn't feeling it.

"Eat up," Zayn said, pouring some milk for himself, Niall, and Harry. "You'll be hungry; Lou and Li aren't returning till at least five."

"I'm not hungry," Harry grumbled while Niall dove straight in, not refusing food.

Zayn just frowned and said, "Curls, you'll be hungry and this'll be the only food you'll get until Louis and Liam return. I doubt Niall is willing to save some for later; he's already on his second sandwich."

"Well, then, he's a fat pig," Harry grumbled, then regretted the words right away when he saw the flare in Zayn's eyes and the hurt that flashed clearly on Niall's face. "Sorry," he muttered quickly. "Didn't mean it."

Zayn gave him a look that clearly told him that he was pushing it, but Harry ignored him. "Come on, Harry, at least one sandwich."

"Fine!" Harry huffed, and snatched up a ham and cheese sandwich. He took one bite and then set the sandwich down, swallowing and pouting, "I don't like it."

"This is all there is, Harry. Just please eat."

"No!" Harry snapped. "I told you, I'm not hungry!"

"Don't raise your voice at me, Harry Styles," Zayn warned softly. "I'm speaking to you in a calm manner, and I expect you to do the same."

"Screw that," Harry growled back. Rolling his eyes, he muttered fiercely, "Asshole."

Something in Zayn seemed to snap. He stood up, eyes narrowed sharply. Harry just glared back.

* * *

Niall never knew such a harsh tone could come from his sweet curly-haired friend. _Harry seems to be in a really bad mood today_ , he thought with a grimace. It definitely wouldn't end well. Zayn had no tolerance or patience for disrespect. One wrong move and you spent the next hour feeling guilty while you knelt as his feet, feeling his burning gaze the whole time.

When Zayn stood up, eyes flaring at Harry's rudeness, Niall stopped eating and tensed, preparing himself for what was about to happen. It was obvious that Harry would fight back, though he had no idea why the curly haired Sub was acting like a right brat today.

"Excuse me?" Zayn growled. "What did you just say, Harry Edward Styles?"

Uh oh. Middle name – that was never a good sign and Niall knew that from experience. He winced in sympathy. Harry's words about him being a pig had hurt him, but, well, he had apologized and everyone feared the wrath of Zayn Malik.

The last time Zayn had spat out his middle name in that tone, Niall had spent the entire afternoon in his room with nothing to entertain himself with after an hour lecture from Zayn, only let out if he called for either Liam or Zayn to use the bathroom. That had been horrible.

"You heard me!" Harry yelled, clenching his fists angrily. "Screw that! Screw you!"

Well, that was it. Goodbye to Harry Styles. Zayn was surely going to murder him. Niall grimaced, chewing on his bottom lip uncertainly.

"Say it again, I dare you," Zayn said in a low voice, eyes still spitting fire at the Sub. Niall couldn't figure out how Harry resisted his Sub urges that were clearly screaming, _submit! Submit now!_ Hell, Zayn's angry look wasn't even directed at him and he was frozen! "You say it again, and I'll paddle your ass until it's as red as a ripe cherry."

"Do it," Harry growled back.

Zayn reached for Harry and Niall saw his friend flinch a little. He was still amazed. He would have freaking screamed for mercy if Zayn used that tone on him. Surely Zayn was going to rip apart Harry's bum!

But all Zayn did was tug Harry's curls firmly twice, and then order in a booming voice, "Go to the corner right now and kneel! And don't you dare move a muscle!"

Niall was expecting Harry to either fight back (which was the most stupid move he could make, in Niall's opinion) or to beg for mercy, apologizing over and over again. At least, the second one was what Niall would have done the moment his Sub instincts overwhelmed him with guilt.

But what Harry did was what Niall was not expecting. He obediently went, but before he did, he lingered a bit. Niall was surprised at Harry's expression. It looked like he was remorseful – no. Not remorseful.

Harry was disappointed.

 _Disappointed of what?_ Niall wondered, puzzled, and watched Harry go.

He ate quietly for a few minutes, before he asked quietly to be excused. Zayn nodded his head, and Niall sat silently on the couch, watching his movie. When Zayn started the dishes, he sent one final look at the Dom before tip-toeing to Harry, who was kneeling in the corner, shifting every once in a while uncomfortably.

Niall realized Harry was muttering to himself, and he strained to listen. He couldn't catch the words at first, but his ears soon adjusted and he could hear more.

"How many times …have to try … jerk," Harry was grumbling.

What he said next made Niall frown.

"When will someone _actually_ do something?"

What was going on in the curly-haired lad's mind?

* * *

Harry was secretly relieved when Zayn came and ordered him to stand up. He stood, turning, and yelped when the Dom pulled his curls a bit harshly. A shiver ran up his spine. Well, he had certainly gotten the Dom in a mood.

"Did I tell you to turn?"

"No," Harry whispered, instantly turning back around.

"What was that?"

"No, sir," Harry said more coherently. He swallowed when Zayn just sighed.

"What has gotten into you?" the Dom murmured, rubbing where he had pulled his hair as if trying to relieve some of the sting. "Where's the usual sweet curly lad, hmm?" Harry just remained silent, letting Zayn stroke his hair and talk quietly. "You gonna say anything?"

"Sorry," Harry muttered unconvincingly. "I didn't mean to shout in the kitchen."

"Hmm." Zayn just hummed to himself. "You can turn around now. It's a bit disturbing to be having a conversation while you face the wall."

Harry turned around reluctantly, chewing his lower lip. "You're the one who made me face the wall," he huffed.

Zayn just frowned. "I thought we'd be able to hold a civil conversation like mature people. Was I wrong?"

Harry didn't reply.

"Well, then, turn around again."

"I hate you!" Harry shouted, kicking the air in frustration. Or rather, the small coffee table on the right of him. To his shock, the leg of the table snapped, making the vase and cup shatter on the ground.

Both the Dom and Sub froze for a few seconds, before something in Zayn seemed to finally snap for once, and this time for real.

"No!" Harry squealed when Zayn grabbed the scruff of his neck and dragged him over to the nearest furniture – in this case, the sofa. "Don't! T-that was an accident! Zaaaayyyn!" he whined when Zayn yanked down his trousers and boxers.

"OWW!" he wailed when Zayn landed a smack on his bum. "Zaaaaayyn! I said I was sorry!"

"Why can't I believe you then, hmm?" Zayn retorted, continuing to land sharp spanks. "You've had this coming for a long time Harry Styles! You can hate me all you want after this; I don't care. I'm just going to continue until I think you're actually sorry."

"Why don't you think of why I was acting like this then, huh?" Harry howled back, kicking. "Stop it! I hate you!"

"Niall!"

Harry stopped in his screaming and kicking and watched in embarrassment and teary eyes as Niall appeared in the doorway. Zayn spoke, finally pausing in spanking. "Be a good lad and fetch me the leather paddle. The one with holes."

"NOOOO!" Harry protested. "Zayn, don't! I'm sorry! OW!"

"Hush up," Zayn growled. "You brought this on yourself."

Harry couldn't exactly deny that fact, but he just kept sobbing and blubbering that this wasn't fair and that it wasn't his fault.

Niall returned, avoiding Harry's eyes. Harry just whimpered when Zayn laid the leather paddle down on his bum, tapping occasionally as he waited for Harry's wracking sobs to slow.

When Harry just continued sobbing, Zayn seemed to give up. The Dom lifted the Sub gently onto his lap, letting his stinging bum fall in between his thighs. Harry clutched to him, crying his eyes out, hiccoughing.

"Harry," Zayn said softly. "Curls. You're gonna make yourself sick. Shhh, I know. Deep breath, in, out. Copy my breathing."

"Z-Z-Zayn," Harry whimpered.

"Yeah, Curly?" Zayn answered, stroking his hair gently. "Shhh, Harry. Deep breaths."

"S-Sorry," Harry stuttered, sniffling. "I'm s-so sorryyyy! J-Just please, please, please, _please_ don't paddle me!"

"What's your colour? Did Liam talk to you about your colours?"

"I-I don't remember," Harry sniffled.

"Do you know what the colours mean? Red, yellow, and green?"

"Y-yes. Red is stop, yellow is 'I don't feel sure about this and I want to slow down', and green is good and I want to continue."

"Alright," Zayn said easily. "Well, Harry? Colour?"

Harry just sniffled again. Did he really want this? Of course not. He didn't want to get spanked. He hated it. If he said red or yellow, Zayn would stop. He was obliged to stop.

But Harry didn't want him to.

Because he knew, he wanted this but he didn't. He wanted the feeling that someone actually cared for him; he craved the attention they would give him and the aftercare Liam and Zayn had given Niall.

"Green," he said.

"Good," Zayn murmured. "You're being a very good boy." With those murmured words, he smoothly got Harry back into position like the experienced Dom he was. "Since this is your first time, I'll be giving you five smacks. But believe me, Harry Edward Styles, if this wasn't your first time, you'd be getting at least twenty with my hand and fifteen with the paddle. I don't tolerate disrespect, and I never will, you understand that?"

"Y-Yes, sir," Harry whispered, clutching at Zayn's leg and trembling.

"I want you to count the five swats and thank me after each one. You can take as long as you want, I'll still wait, alright?"

"Okay." Harry braced himself. "Ow!" he hissed. "One, sir. Thank you, sir."

Zayn brought the paddle down once more and Harry bit down on his bottom lip, tasting blood. "Two, sir," he said in a trembling voice. "Thank you, sir."

He began to softly cry again, and cried out, "Three, sir! Thank you, sir!"

By the fourth smack, he was sobbing. The paddle really hurt, considering there were holes to make sure there would be no air resistance as it swung down.

Zayn stroked his hair and said softly, "Harry."

"F-Four, sir," Harry whined. "Thank you, sir." _Please be done, please be done,_ he silently begged.

The last one came down hard, making Harry jolt and nearly throw himself off of the Dom's lap. "OWWW!" he wailed. "F-Five, sir, thank you, sir." He was sobbing like a little boy on Zayn's lap.

The Dom moved his gently upright, hugging him and rubbing his back. "Shhh," he murmured. "It's alright. You're forgiven, it's all forgotten."

And that was when Harry realized – that was the first time he had actually gotten a full discipline. He sniffled, burying his face into Zayn's neck. The Dom smelled nice. Like fresh air and mint and chocolate.

Zayn allowed him to cry for a bit more, before Harry felt him lift his face up with a finger under his chin. "Curly," Zayn said softly. "We need to talk."

* * *

 **End of Chapter Four**

 **Author's Note: Please review! Feedback is always welcome and updates are every Friday! Hope you enjoyed :D**


	5. Chapter 5

**WARNINGS FOR THE CHAPTER: Harry goes into subspace but Zayn gives him lots of aftercare.**

 **Author's Note: Please leave reviews at the end! They would be appreciated :)**

* * *

"About what?" Harry asked quietly, shifting.

Zayn knew a bunch of thoughts were probably running around in Harry's mind. But he just said, "A lot of things," and shifted Harry so that he was facing him and began to absentmindedly play with his curls. "I know for a fact that you've never had a complete discipline. How do you feel about it?"

Harry just let out a soft sound and shifted, nibbling on his bottom lip. Angry? Annoyed? Good? No. "Satisfied," he answered, blinking and feeling drowsy.

"Good," Zayn said. "Now, I know you must be feeling sleepy right now. You're probably about to go under. I won't leave you alone; I'll continue to do what you want me to do."

"Keep petting my hair," Harry said quietly.

"Alright," Zayn said. "I can do that." After a while, Harry made a content sound and Zayn said, "Curly? How do you feel?"

"I'm floating," Harry said with a cute giggle. "I'm floating, Zaynie! I'm flying; I'm a bird!"

"Alright," Zayn repeated with a small smile, mainly to himself. "You're still under." After a while of Harry babbling, Zayn pushed a finger onto his lips and scolded gently, "Hush. You're tiring yourself out."

Harry whined a little and squirmed. "Thirsty," he said.

"I have to let you go just for a moment to get water, boo," Zayn said gently. Harry let out a whine. Zayn pondered for a moment. He knew leaving a Sub who was in subspace was a big no-no. "Niall!" he called. "Sorry, Curls," he said when Harry whimpered at his loud voice.

Niall came downstairs with earphones in his ears, giving Zayn a questioning look.

"Fetch some water for Harry, please," Zayn said.

"What?" Niall said, pulling out one earphone.

Zayn sighed and said, "Water. For Harry. And take out those earphones of yours when I'm speaking to you. You know I don't like talking to you when you have those in." He glared fiercely and scolded, "Don't roll your eyes at me!"

"Zaynieeeee!" Harry whined. "Water!"

"I know, Curls," Zayn hushed. "Niall's getting you some."

"Niall?" Harry giggled. "Niall! Water, please!" he called, kicking.

"Harry," Zayn reprimanded. "Please stay still."

"No!" Harry laughed. "I can't, Zaynie! I'm flying, remember?" He yelped when his sore bottom made contact with Zayn's thigh.

"I told you," Zayn scolded, shaking his head when the Sub broke into whimpers. "That's what you get for not listening, Curly." He accepted the glass of water and mouthed, ' _thanks'_ to Niall before holding up the rim of the glass to Harry's mouth. "C'mon, Harry. Drink."

Harry sipped at the glass for a while, and when he finished he made a contented sound. "Thanks, Daddy," he murmured, his eyes fluttering shut.

 _Daddy?_ Zayn frowned a little, and then smirked. Ah, so the little pipsqueak had an Ageplay kink, just like Niall did. He'd have to mention that to Louis. He didn't blame the curly-haired lad, though; he obviously craved comfort and attention.

He caught a flash of jealousy in Niall's beautiful blue eyes, though, and he reminded him to spend lots of time with his own Sub later to make sure he wouldn't become all moody. He smiled. Though it was annoying, a moody Niall pouting was quite adorable.

"You wanna sleep now, Curly?" Zayn asked in a soft tone, not wanting to startle the boy.

"Mm." Harry shifted a little, eyes fluttering shut. "Sleep?"

"Yeah, Curls," Zayn said, smiling. Harry was adorable. "Go to sleep. When you wake up you'll feel better."

Ten minutes later, Zayn gently placed a snoring Harry on his front on the couch, making sure the boy was comfortable before making his way to the random part of the house that they just liked to spend time in. They had never agreed on what to do with that part of the house, so they just decided to put a table and a large comfy couch, as well as a TV. It was where they would go to take their minds off of things.

He spotted Niall on the couch, watching TV. Making his way toward the blonde Sub he smiled and said, "Hey, angel. What're you doing?"

Niall didn't reply.

Zayn sat down beside him and teased gently, "Awww, is my little Ni jealous that I spent so much time with Curly?"

Niall scowled, confirming Zayn's guess.

Zayn planted a kiss on his forehead and said, "Love you."

Niall paused for a moment before saying, "Love you too."

Zayn smiled. "Harry's asleep," he commented quietly, lowering the volume and muffling Niall's whine with a kiss on the lips.

Niall smacked at him playfully, but Zayn saw the longing in his eyes. When they pulled apart for breath, Zayn smirked and said, "We haven't done _that_ in a while, angel."

The next thing they knew, they were both naked and moaning on the couch. Zayn was currently sucking bruises onto Niall's neck as the Sub arched, panting, when they heard a screech.

"ZAYN! NIALL! ON THE COUCH?!" The voice belonged to Liam. Liam looked like he was trying to decide whether to laugh or to kick them off and Louis was covering his eyes, red in the face.

The Dom and Sub hastily threw their clothes on, Niall escaping like the little weasel he was while Zayn grinned sheepishly at him. "Shhh," he said, placing a finger on Liam's lips when he seemed like he was about to yell again. "Harry's in 'space."

Liam frowned. "What'd you do?"

Zayn chewed on his lip. "About that …"

* * *

Harry woke up to blue eyes staring at him and he jumped a little, rolling onto his back. "OWWW!" he howled.

The blue eyes flared with surprise, and then laughter and Harry pouted. "Not funny," he mumbled, trying to pretend nothing had happened.

"Zayn told me everything, Hazza," Louis said, smirking. "You don't need to hide your pain. Now, how are you feeling?'

Harry hummed, trying to gauge his mood. "A bit dizzy still," he settled for. "Better than before and I think I'm coming up from subspace, but I'm still under."

"Alright," Louis said. "Lie back." At the look of horror on Harry's face, he laughed and said, "On your front."

Harry wriggled onto his stomach, looking back at Louis. He let out a moan when Louis started to massage him, letting the muscles free from the tight knots they had been in. Harry shifted in happiness and said, "Since when were you such a good massager?"

"Liam taught me today, as well as a few other tricks," Louis said with a soft smile. "Guess it does come in handy every once in a while."

"Mmmm," Harry moaned. "Feels good." Soon, he fell asleep once more.

When he woke up, the clock read 5:30 PM. Dinner would be at 6:30. Stretching, he stood up and tried to at least attempt to tame his wild curls.

His phone rang from beside his bed and he groaned before reaching out to get it, almost falling in the process. It was a text from Zach, an old friend of his.

 _Zach: Hey, Styles, you wanna meet at the usual bar tonight?_

Harry paused for a moment before typing back.

 _Hazza: Sure, but I have to ask my Dom._

 _Zach: Who, Louis? I don't even get why you let him dominate you. I mean, he's not_ that _hot, is he?_

 _Hazza: Shut up, Zach. He's hot as hell. So, what time?_

 _Zach: Thought you had to ask? And I'll drive you there. Meet you at the park nearby at 11:00 PM?_

 _Hazza: Okay. Duck Pond Park, right?_

 _Zach: Yeah._

 _Hazza: Gonna ask now. Bye._

Harry turned his phone off and sighed. Louis was never gonna let him. Bars at night were … well, not necessarily the safest place on the planet. He was trying to figure out whether he should ask or just sneak out when the door swung open without a knock.

"Hey!" he exclaimed indignantly as Niall stepped in and shut the door behind him. "I could've been naked!"

"I would've seen all of that sooner or later," Niall joked and plopped down beside him on the bed. "What are you doing?"

"I just woke up," Harry said.

His phone buzzed and a message popped up, probably from Zach. Before Harry could grab it, Niall snatched the phone up first. "Hey!" Harry yelled. "Give it back!"

Niall's eyes just went wide and he hissed, "You're going to a bar at night? Alone?"

"Not alone," Harry mumbled, snatching the phone away. "I'm meeting Zach there. A friend of mine."

"Yeah? And how are you gonna get there?"

Harry shrugged. "I'm meeting Zach at the park nearby."

Niall shook his head. "Not smart," he muttered, frowning.

Harry gave an exaggerated sigh and rolled his eyes. "Since when were you so responsible?" he huffed, knowing that would hit a soft spot on the other Sub.

Niall glared. "Fine! But I'm going with you."

Harry glared back. "No!" he argued. "Then it'll be even more obvious."

"At least ask first," Niall retorted. "You never know."

Harry rolled his eyes and huffed, "Fine! I'll ask Louis, but you know what he'll say!" He went searching for his Dom and found Louis talking and laughing with Zayn and Liam. Zayn was making dinner with a fond smile on his face.

The Doms quieted when Harry entered the kitchen. He awkwardly stood there, all courage and rebellion gone, before he asked hesitantly, "Is this not the best timing?"

"No, no," Liam waved his hand. "It's fine. Did you need something?"

"Er." Harry bit his lip and let his eyes flicker over to Louis's blue eyes.

"Spit it out, Hazza," Louis said pointedly, but the small smile he gave took the sting out of his words.

"Zach invited me to go out for a drink with him," Harry explained. He saw the look on Louis' face and he quickly added with emphasis, "As friends."

Louis just gave him an unconvinced look.

Harry inwardly sighed. "We haven't met in a while," Harry said quietly. "The last time I saw any of my friends was six months ago, Louis! Please?" He was whining now, but he didn't care.

"What time?" Louis asked, fingers drumming on the table.

Harry was momentarily distracted by Zayn accidentally dropping a spatula on the floor, but he turned his attention from the sheepishly grinning Dom to his own blue-eyed Dominant.

"Well, Zach said we could meet at Duck Pond Park and he'd drive me," Harry began hesitantly. "At eleven."

"No," Louis said.

Harry gazed at him pleadingly. " _Please_ , Louis? I miss my friends!"

Louis hesitated, giving Liam a helpless look. Harry pouted. Liam was facing away from him so he couldn't read the Dom's expression, but he assumed that Liam was silently telling Louis to hold against his pleads.

"I'm sorry, Hazza," Louis finally said, giving a genuinely apologetic look. "I know you miss your friends and you want to spend time with them. Maybe next time when it's not so late and not at a bar." Louis frowned and said, "How'd you get in the last time? You're underage, Hazza!"

Harry bit his lip, holding back his groan. "Er, well …"

"Harry."

"Okay, fine!" Harry huffed. "Zach had a fake ID that got us both in. I'm sorry; I know it was wrong."

"Harry!" Louis scolded. "You know that I've told you before that I don't want you hanging out with that Zach. He's nothing but trouble and he's going to get you arrested or be a bad influence."

"Now you're telling me that I can't even have friends!" Harry cried out. He glared at his Dom, clenching his fists.

"Harry," Liam began softly.

Obviously, Liam and Zayn felt the tension crackling in the air. Liam had intervened and Zayn was frozen, wooden spoon in his hand as the potato soup bubbled.

"You're nothing but an ass, all of you!" he huffed before turning on his heel and stomping out. As he stormed out the large hallway, he saw Niall with his jaw dropped open, eyes wide with shock.

"Harry, they're going to kill you—"

"Shut up," Harry growled, shoving the other Sub out of his way moodily. He ignored the hurt look on Niall's face and inwardly felt guilty, but he pushed the feeling away.

He slammed the door shut and dropped onto his bed with his phone in hand. His phone rang, perfect timing, and he saw that it was a message from Zach.

 _Zach: So, you in?_

Harry paused before glaring and typing back an answer.

 _Hazza: Yeah. See you at eleven._

* * *

Harry was drunk.

He was so drunk that he could barely see properly.

His vision kept going fuzzy and his head hurt and he knew that all three Doms were going to murder his backside the moment they found him.

He had snuck out through the window while Louis had been taking a shower, Zayn was with Niall in the bedroom, and Liam was washing the dishes.

He was drunk, absolutely gone, and that was why he was relieved when he felt a familiar hand grasp his shoulder, though none too gently. Harry turned around, emerald eyes meeting fierce, brown eyes.

"I cannot believe the nerve of you," Zayn was growing as he hauled Harry over to his car before throwing him in the backseat, giving him a firm push before sitting down next to him. "Paul, head home please," he ordered before turning to place his glare on the drunk Sub.

Harry smartly remained silent.

When they reached home, Zayn silently opened the door and waited for Harry to stumble out.

"What were you thinking?" Zayn lectured harshly as he dragged the Sub by his ear to his office.

Harry remained stubbornly silent.

Zayn shut the door angrily and growled, "Well, little boy, 'fess up."

Harry just slowly blinked and said softly, still drunk, "I guess I always screw things up."

Zayn stared.

That was when he realized that there might be more to Harry Styles than just a disobedient, attention-seeking brat. No, he was more like a boy that had lost his path.

And Zayn knew that he had to help the boy.

Not for just his own good, but for everyone's.

* * *

 **End of Chapter Five**

 **Author's Note: Please review! Thanks for reading :) Updates are every Friday! :) Sorry about the shorter chapter than the usual.**


	6. Chapter 6

**WARNINGS: Zayn/Liam/Niall and Louis/Harry have a BDSM Scene. Badly written because it's my first time. Sorry ;) And also a 'little' Harry who manages to get into trouble.**

* * *

Harry woke up with his head feeling like someone was pounding a hammer into it. He groaned and blinked, his vision going blurry before it cleared up.

"You're awake."

Harry glanced to the side and saw Louis on a chair, watching. Harry bit his lip. "Sorry," he whispered.

Louis jus sighed. "Haz, I just wanted you to be safe," he said quietly. "I just wanted to care and protect you. But you just didn't understand."

Harry felt even guiltier. "Louis," he said softly, apologetically. "I'm sorry! I really am." He winced, his head pounding in pain again.

"I'll get some medicine for you," Louis said quietly, and left the room.

Harry bit his lip, trying to stop it from trembling. He sniffled and wiped away his tears quickly, but it was too late.

"Hazza?" Louis hurried in with the painkillers and water, and set them down on the nightstand.

Harry turned away, and sniffled before mumbling, "I-I'm fine."

"Hazza," Louis said quietly. "Harold. Look at me, please."

It wasn't a suggestion. Harry slowly shifted back around, though he didn't meet his Dom's eyes. He sat up and stared at the bed.

He felt Louis' fingers tip his chin up gently and softly. Harry blinked back his tears again. "I'm sorry," he said softly. "I really am."

"I know," Louis said simply. "And you'll be disciplined rightly for your actions, but there's also something I need to tell you. It won't be a spanking this time."

Harry frowned.

"Harry, if it's okay with you, we're going to have a scene," Louis said seriously. "That'll be your discipline. Since you were disobedient, we're going to have a scene about obedience."

Harry bit his lip uncertainly.

"Niall will be joining you, and Liam and Zayn will be there as well. You'll be safe, and I promise I'll do my best."

"Will we … uh, you know," Harry began awkwardly. "Will we be doing … stuff that involves taking our clothes off?"

"No," Louis said, answering his question. "Nothing sexual. I might order you to take your shirt off, but nothing will go beyond. This is a scene, and you'll have full aftercare from me after. You and Niall will be cuddling with us while we watch a movie, and I'm going to do my best, Haz. You trust me?"

"Yes," Harry said without hesitation. "When?"

"In the afternoon, when your head clears up a bit." Louis handed him the painkillers and glass of water and Harry swallowed them.

"Alright," Harry said.

He sighed and slumped back down. "I won't do it again," he said softly, to break the silence between them.

"I know," Louis said. He gave Harry a gentle pat on his head and said quietly, "Zayn said he needed to speak with me so I have to leave you alone for a bit right now. Is that okay?"

"Yeah," Harry murmured. _I'm not a little kid who needed babysitting all the time_ , he wanted to add.

After Louis left, Harry was left alone for about twenty minutes in bed when suddenly there were two knocks on the door. The door opened without waiting for an invitation and Harry immediately knew who it was from the lack of patience.

Niall closed the door behind him and pulled up a chair to Harry's bed with a small smile. Harry groaned and grumbled, "Alright, Niall. Say it."

"I told you," Niall responded without any hesitation, grinning, amusement dancing in his eyes.

"Shut up," Harry huffed, though he knew Niall would never shut up. "So, Lou broke the news to me that we're gonna have a scene. What do you usually do in a scene?"

Niall shrugged and said, "It's kind of like you're not yourself anymore. Like, I remember one scene was that Zayn and Liam were police officers and I was the 'criminal'. They, er, did a full body search of me and—"

"I really don't want to know," Harry said.

Niall smirked before continuing. "Anyway, it's good to have a scene every once in a while. It kinda relieves the stress you feel, actually. Is that weird?"

Harry shrugged. "I guess not," he said.

Niall frowned before continuing. "I don't know what we're gonna do this time, though."

One o'clock rolled around and Harry and Niall reluctantly stopped their game of Fifa and went downstairs. They spotted Louis on the couch on his phone. Zayn and Liam were nowhere to be seen.

"Hey, Haz," Louis smiled at him, though it was a tad bit awkward. "Ready for the scene?"

"Yeah," Harry said. "My head doesn't hurt as much."

"That's good. Liam and Zayn are downstairs preparing the scene, if you want to go see them, Niall."

It was a not so subtle hint that Niall should probably leave. Luckily, the blonde Sub seemed to catch on and made his way out of the living room.

"Downstairs?" Harry repeated once Niall had left. "Downstairs as in the basement?"

Louis sighed and patted the spot beside him on the couch. "Hazza," he said. "I know that we haven't had a … very good past in relation to the basement. But I promise you, this time I _will_ do better. Liam and Zayn will be there as well and they'll step in if they have to – hopefully not having to at all, of course."

Apologetic and slightly hopeful eyes met fearful green eyes.

"If you really don't want to, we can tell Zayn and Liam to have the scene somewhere else."

"No," Harry said shakily. "It's fine."

He trusted Louis. He could do this. Besides, with Zayn and Liam with them too, everything would go smoothly.

He hoped.

* * *

Louis knew that he couldn't screw up this time. It was his chance to prove to everyone that he could at least be somewhat of a Dominant. He constantly told himself that he was learning and he was improving, but he didn't believe it.

He had seen the fear in Harry's eyes; those beautiful green eyes couldn't hide emotions.

What if he messed up? What if Harry hated him? What if Liam and Zayn kicked him out? What if—

"Louis?"

Louis blinked.

Harry was looking at him with a questioning look. "Zayn called us. He said that they're ready."

"Oh," Louis stammered. He cleared his throat and said firmly, "Right. Let's go." He wiped the sweat off of his palms on his sweatpants.

As they made their way through the enormous hallway, Harry broke the silence by turning those green eyes on Louis and saying, "It's okay to feel scared, you know."

The two stopped walking. Louis bit his lip before saying, "But I'm your Dom. I'm not supposed to be scared of being dominant over my Sub."

"Both Doms and Subs are human, Louis," Harry pointed out. "It's okay to make mistakes."

"How did I get such a wise Sub?" Louis murmured, staring at Harry.

The two gazed at each other for moment before they moved toward each other the same time. Louis reached his hand out to cup Harry's cheek, and they moved closer, lips almost touching—

"Louis! Curly! Hurry up!"

The sound of Zayn's velvety yet booming voice made them both jump, and then awkwardly jog toward the door leading to the basement.

They arrived downstairs and saw that Niall still thankfully had his clothes on, but he was kneeling on a cushion and his hands were behind his back.

Louis joined Liam and Zayn while Harry knelt beside Niall on the other cushion. When Harry looked up at him with slight questioning in his eyes, Louis just glanced at Liam uncertainly.

Liam just gazed back, as if saying, " _He's your Sub._ "

Louis turned his eyes back onto Harry and ordered, "Hands in front of you, clasped together. Back straight."

He watched as Harry assumed the position. Trying to chase away his nervousness, he took a not so subtle deep breath and turned to Zayn.

"Ready?" the Dom mouthed.

Louis gave a nod. He watched as Zayn turned his attention to the two kneeling Subs.

"This is a scene on obedience. This is meant to be discipline for your misbehaviour, Harold. Right now, I'm going to tell you exactly what we're doing today. I'm not going to do this every time we do a scene. We're having this discussion beforehand because I know that Harry, this is your first scene and I want you to fully understand what we're going to be doing.

"Louis will tell you, Harry, as he wishes. He might make you do stuff for him. He could give you a few swats if you misbehave. Louis will give you three or four options, and you will have to choose what you think best fits the scenario. Same for Niall, but with Liam and I. We could order you to take your shirt off; we could tell you to cuddle. We might tell you to fetch handcuffs and cuff your hands so you can only use your mouth."

Louis intently watched Harry. He didn't want the Sub to feel uncomfortable. He wasn't planning on doing anything drastic – this was Harry's first scene and though it was meant to be a punishment, most of it would be thinking. The point of this was to teach that obedience brought trust and thinking before acting is always a smart choice. He would definitely tell that to Harry. That was it for him but he really didn't want to imagine what Zayn and Liam could order Niall to do. The last time he had walked in on them in the bedroom … Louis almost felt like gagging again.

"We'll ask you your colour, and if you're uncomfortable with anything, remember to call yellow," Liam added. "Or even red if you're extremely uncomfortable. Don't be scared or ashamed to safeword."

Louis knew for a fact that some Subs purposely didn't call their safeword or colour system even though what their Dom was doing wasn't in their comfort zone, and only because they didn't want to shame their Doms by 'chickening out'. At least Louis had remembered to drill into Harry's head constantly that safewording out was good, and he should do it immediately if Louis did something that he wasn't comfortable with.

"Even if we order you to be silent, we still want you to safeword. If you're gagged, which won't be likely, you can slap down once for yellow, and two for red. Was all of that understood?" Zayn inquired.

"Yes, sir," Niall murmured.

Louis smiled when he heard Harry's soft and husky voice repeat what the blonde Sub had murmured.

When Louis heard Zayn command Niall to crawl and follow him, he knew the scene had started. He turned to Harry, who was still kneeling and eyes fixed on the floor and said, "Harold, follow me to the couch. You can walk."

Louis knew that Harry didn't have the strongest leg joints and the point was to teach his Sub obedience and trust, not pain from achy knees.

Louis plopped down on the couch and smiled to himself, pleased, when Harry kneeled without being asked, though he did so without a grimace. Louis gave himself a reminder not to keep the curly-haired lad in the position for too long.

He pushed his hand into Harry's curls and played with them, getting the tangles out. "Haz," he said quietly, remembering what Liam had taught him. He took a deep breath and said, "Harold, come sit on my lap."

* * *

Harry wasn't uncomfortable … that much. It was just that he and Louis didn't have a lot of body contact, and well, it awkward with Louis' crotch pressed against his rear. He was nervous, anticipating what Louis would order him to do.

"Hazza?"

"Yes, sir?" Harry whispered.

"Just Louis is fine," Louis said. "I want you to stop being so quiet. Talk."

 _What in the …_ Harry couldn't understand how this was helping him in 'obedience' and discipline and all that stuff. It was just Louis ordering him around. "Er," he stammered. "Are you hungry?"

 _Smooth, Styles._ They had just had lunch.

Harry was jerked out of his panicky thoughts when Louis gave a soft laugh. "You're adorable," Louis murmured, poking a dimple.

Harry obediently let Louis' hands roam his body, squeezing and gently brushing and tickling.

"I'm new to this, Harry," Louis murmured. "But I'm trying my best. You get that, right?"

"Yes," Harry said.

"I love you," Louis murmured.

"Me too."

"Harry, what should you have done instead of sneaking out?"

Harry, though slightly surprised at the sudden question, murmured, "Um, tell you that Zach was pressuring me, ignore him and don't go at all, I guess?"

"You guess?"

Harry bit his lip. "Um … no. I _know_ that I shouldn't have done that."

Louis hummed appreciatively. "You're a very good and intelligent boy."

The rest was all similar, with Louis asking Harry questions and Harry answering them, or Louis sending Harry to do something and Harry doing it obediently.

That was, until Louis hands slipped under his blue shirt. He froze for a moment, and hesitantly raised his eyes to meet Louis'. Louis met his eyes for a moment, and Harry took a deep breath and nodded. He trusted Louis.

Louis' hands roamed over Harry's skin, brushing over sensitive areas that made Harry stiffen and try to stifle a laugh. "Hush," Louis ordered sternly. "Be silent."

Harry gulped, trying not to make a sound. Louis wasn't really helping. His soft hands roamed from his neck to his shoulders, to his back and then his ribs. When Louis gently poked at his ribs, Harry squealed, "Nooooo! Don't!"

Then he froze.

Louis pulled his hands away, looking a bit cross. "Harold, what did I say? Silence!" And he made sure Harry knew he was being scolded by landing a sharp smack on his bum.

Harry winced but managed to swallow back his squeak. He wanted to pout and argue that it wasn't fair but he held his tongue. He tried to silently apologize by being obediently silent for the rest of the scene.

When the scene was over, Louis carried a tired Harry over to the couch where Zayn, Liam and Niall were already cuddling, and placed the curly-haired lad onto his lap.

"Mmm," Harry murmured, feeling slightly light and a bit empty-minded. "You're comfortable."

Louis chuckled. "Thanks, love."

Harry moaned when Louis began to play with his curls, gently tugging and running his fingers through them. Harry was disappointed when Louis said, "Harry, we need to talk." He just wanted to stay like this forever, not a care in the world, his Dom providing care for him … but nevertheless he nodded.

"I understand you must be going into subspace right now, but this is important. Just this time, yeah, Haz?"

"Okay."

"You understood the first part of your discipline, right?"

"First part?" Harry muttered to himself, but just nodded.

"Can you tell me what the point of it was?"

"To teach me obedience," Harry said softly, letting his head rest on Louis' body. "And to help me trust you."

"Yes, and it was also to help you think before acting."

"I was getting to that," Harry pouted adorably, and Louis laughed softly before kissing him on the cheek.

"The second part is … a stronger discipline. Not a spanking, though, but this scene was more of an experience thing than a discipline. I know you must've enjoyed most of it, so that's why I'm adding to it. I'm not going to do anything drastic. It's just helping Liam clean out his office and old documents. Boring, yeah? But that's the point."

* * *

"Fine," Harry sighed. "If you must."

"You're very cheeky, you know that?" Louis said, smiling. His curly-haired boy was just plainly adorable.

Harry stuck out his tongue, and then frowned.

Louis raised an eyebrow at the sudden mood change and said, "What's the matter, Haz?"

Harry blushed fiercely and mumbled, "You probably don't want me to …"

"Oh, come on," Louis said. "Spill, Hazza. It's obviously got you thinking."

"Well … I want to be what Niall was last time. But only if you want!" the Sub added hastily.

Louis frowned and sent a glance at Zayn who had obviously been listening. He gave a questioning look, silently asking what he should do – now would be a horrible time to mess up. They had finally started something going, and one wrong word … Zayn just gave a ' _do whatever you want, he's your Sub_ ' shrug. "You know what to do," Zayn mouthed.

Louis made a quick decision and tipped Harry's chin up. "Harry, if you want something, then it's obviously important. I don't always throw your ideas away, yeah?"

Harry nodded, looking timid.

"Now, you said you wanted to be … a little?" Louis confirmed.

Harry nodded.

"Alright," Louis said, thinking. "It shouldn't be too hard to get into the 'space of a little. You're already heading there. Just keep breathing normally, imagine yourself when you were little, pull out some memories of when you were younger. Imagine yourself as a little right now."

After a while of silence, Louis couldn't stand it and said quietly, "Harry?"

"Yes, Daddy?"

Oh. Well that ended his question quickly. Nevertheless, Louis said, "Harry, how old are you?" Just like Liam and Zayn had done for Niall last time.

"Four," the boy said with an adorable grin.

"Okay, H. You wanna go up and help Liam now, sweetie?"

"Okay!"

"Listen to Uncle Liam, yeah? Or else Daddy will come and spank your naughty little bottom." Louis wagged a finger sternly.

Harry gasped, eyes widening. "No spank!" he exclaimed, hands flying back to cover his bum.

"No spanking unless you're naughty," Louis retorted.

Harry pouted at him and firmly said, crossing his arms, "No spank! Daddy!"

"Harold," Louis said, holding in a sigh. "You're already testing my patience. Listen to Daddy and Uncle Liam. Go on, he's waiting."

"Harreh! Let's go play cars!" Niall ran over with a toothy grin on his face.

Harry gasped again and turned to Louis, excitement evident in his green eyes. " _Please_ , Daddyyyy? Harreh will help Uncle Liam later," he begged.

Louis frowned sternly. "No cars yet, Harry. Go with Liam."

Harry whined. "But that's not _fair_!"

"Harold!" Louis said sharply. "You want to play? Then you don't get into trouble, mister. I've already gone relatively easier on you with having a scene as your discipline. Don't make me ground you as well!"

"Daddy's mean!" Harry pouted, but sighed and gave Louis apologetic eyes before mumbling, "Harreh will go and help Uncle Liam."

Louis gave a small smile. "Good lad," he said, ruffling his hair. "Tell you what – if Uncle Liam tells me that you're good, then I'll let you have extra ice cream _after dinner_ and a movie tonight, yeah?" He made sure to emphasis 'after dinner' so Harry couldn't twist his words around later.

The lad had a skill with loopholes and words, and Louis knew that.

"Okay!" Harry gave a grin that made his dimples prominent, and Louis laughed. Harry as a little was just adorable.

* * *

"So, Harry, could you stack all of these papers nicely?"

"Okay!" Harry gave a grin and began to stack them on Liam's desk, sticking out his tongue and biting it in concentration.

After a while, Liam paused in his work of typing something on a laptop and said, "Harry, babe, I need to go and talk to Louis about something. Can I trust you to be alone just for a moment?"

"Yep!" Harry gave a toothy grin. "Harreh will be the goodest!"

When Liam left, Harry continued to stack the papers, making sure they wouldn't fall, when he spotted a small box of crayon in Liam's desk drawers. He took them out and they fell.

Harry gasped at the colours. There was red, blue, green, yellow, orange, and purple. He smiled, forgetting about the papers and grabbed the crayons, looking for a spare bit of paper he could draw on to make Louis proud of him.

The thing was, he didn't know whether Liam needed the papers or not. He looked around, biting his lip. He didn't want to get into trouble. He smiled when he saw not papers, but the white wall in front of him.

Surely, Liam didn't need the wall! And it wasn't like he was going to use all of the white space. He sat down and began doodling, biting his lip. He didn't want to mess up.

"Harry? Lad, where are you?"

Harry jumped when he felt hands grab him gently but firmly and squirmed a little. He looked up to meet warm brown eyes. "Uncle Zayn!" Harry said with a grin. "Daddy said we could have ice cream if we were good!"

"Oh, really?" Zayn said with a smile. "What were you doing, Harry? Liam and Louis wanted me to watch over you for a while.""

"I was drawing!" Harry proudly pointed at the wall, but faltered at the look on Zayn's face.

"Harry!" Zayn scolded after a bit. "Why'd you draw on the walls, mister?"

Harry frowned. "No drawing?"

"Not on walls," Zayn reprimanded. "Now we have to wash that off!"

Harry's bottom lip quivered. "Let me go!" he whined, suddenly feeling rebellious. "Harreh wants to keep drawing!"

"No, mister!" Zayn scolded firmly. "You're going to apologize to Uncle Liam for drawing on the walls, and then you'll—"

Harry reached out and punched Zayn in the jaw.

There was a silence for a moment, Harry wide-eyed and apprehensive, and Zayn struggling to calm down. Harry burst into tears when Zayn carried him over to the corner, scolding, "You're going straight to the corner for timeout, mister! You're not coming out 'till I say you are." He plopped the curly-haired lad down and held him firmly by the shoulders.

"What's going on? Is Harry okay?"

Liam and Louis appeared, looking genuinely concerned.

"Harry was naughty and made a mess on the walls," Zayn said over the sound of Harry sobbing and wailing that it wasn't fair. "And then he punched me in the jaw."

"W-Want Daddyyyyyy," Harry sobbed. He turned around, fighting Zayn, and reached his arms out. "Daddyyyy! Help!"

"Nope. You're staying in the corner until Zayn says you can come out," Louis said, sounding equally as stern as Zayn. "Be a good lad, Haz. Hush down. No ice cream for you after dinner if you keep going on like this."

"Noooooo," Harry whimpered, tears streaming down. "But … b-but … daddy … not fair …" He let out miserable sniffles.

"Turn back around, Harry Edward Styles!" Zayn barked, getting sterner by the second.

Letting out another quiet sob, Harry let Zayn turn him around.

* * *

Zayn decided to let Harry out when the Sub would stop wailing his heart out. He grimaced. The boy's throat had to hurt by now.

When Harry finally stopped crying, Zayn said, "You can come out now, Curls."

Sniffling, Harry turned around and crossed his arms, pouting.

"Come on, Curls. Hug?" Zayn tried not to smile at Harry's cuteness. He doubted this would be the best timing to laugh.

Harry pretended not to hear, still obviously slightly cross at the Dom.

"You'll get cookies for dessert," Zayn bribed, knowing that would get Harry moving.

Harry frowned, before he reluctantly uncrossed his arms and gave Zayn a hug. "Good boy," Zayn chuckled, pressing a kiss on Harry's forehead, running his fingers through his curls. "Now give Louis a hug, yeah?"

Harry rushed off to give the feathery-haired Dom a hug, and Zayn smiled and shook his head.

"Boys will be boys," he murmured fondly.

He sighed and got the materials to clean the markers off of the walls, and then stopped when he saw the drawing.

Harry had drawn the five of them, holding hands and smiling. Zayn paused, hesitating, and then put the cleaning materials down.

Unbeknownst to Harry, the drawing was not erased.

It was too precious to be erased.

* * *

 **Sorry for the crappy chapter, that was pretty bad. Sincere apologies to all of my readers ;) Please comment! Feedback would be extremely appreciated. Thank you!**

 **One question: Would any of you like to read of Ziam story? And what do you feel about a Zayn/Liam/Louis centered chapter in the future? Like, Louis messed up badly with Harry so Zayn and Liam discipline him rightly for it. Please leave your thoughts!**


	7. Chapter 7

**WARNINGS FOR THE CHAPTER: Mentions of spanking. Also, a short but smutty scene between Liam/Zayn/Niall.**

 **Chapter Seven**

* * *

Zayn rolled his eyes when he heard whispering.

"Shhh! Niall, you git, he'll hear you!"

"Oh, I'm the loud one?"

Zayn sighed and took his hand off of the computer mouse, growling. "Boys!" he called, making sure they could hear sternness in his tone. "You step out of that doorway, and I'll be there with a ruler before you can even blink."

"But _Zaaaaayyn_!"

"No, Niall," Zayn growled. "I'm not having you break _another_ vase. You've already broken a glass cup, and Liam will be mad enough at the both of us for that."

"We'll be careful," Niall whined.

Zayn sighed. "Come in here, babe. You too, Curls."

The two rowdy boys scampered into Zayn's office. Zayn just pointed at the small cot that he would occasionally fall asleep on if he was really tired.

"What're you doing that's so busy that you can't even take us to the park?" Niall asked.

Zayn sighed as he continued typing, not taking his eyes off of the screen. "One of my workers accidentally messed up some files that are for Doms and Subs. Now I have to organize all of these again."

The two Subs were quiet for a while, and Zayn immediately knew they were planning something.

After a bit, Harry began cautiously, "Maybe Niall and I could go to the park for just—"

"No," Zayn cut him off. He saw Niall and Harry both pout out of the corner of his eye.

"But Zaaaayyyn," Niall whined, visibly pouting now. "It's only about ten minutes away! We can take a cellphone and we won't go anywhere else!"

"I know," Zayn said, finally taking his eyes off from the screen and looking at the two Subs that were pouting like three years olds. "But there's more than just one problem. One, it's not safe for two Subs to be wandering around without their Doms nearby, no matter how many people there are for witnesses. Two, you have no idea when a Dom might pounce on you. Three, there'll be paparazzi and they'll recognize you, Niall, and well, do you really want to mobbed any time soon?"

Niall pouted even more but didn't say anything.

Zayn swivelled his chair back to face the screen, when Harry said, "Please, Zayn! Please, please, please? We never get to go anywhere!"

"Harold." Zayn gave him a look.

And that was the end of the conversation.

"You're mean," Niall huffed, crossing his arms.

"No, I'm just protective," Zayn corrected, raising an eyebrow at the blonde Sub. "A bit overprotective, yes, but better to be on the safe side than risk something."

"Do you want a massage?"

"What?" Zayn blinked at the sudden, random question.

Niall just blinked at him. "A massage," he repeated. "You're stressed. It'll probably feel good."

Zayn hesitated, though he was tempted. "I dunno, Ni … I really need to get these files done again …"

"A few minutes won't hurt," Niall pointed out.

"You're human," Harry added. "You need to rest at some point."

Zayn sighed and reluctantly agreed. He laid down on his front on the cot, and let Harry and Niall's hands roam and gently squeeze, releasing all of the tight knots in his muscles.

Zayn let his eyes flutter shut. A few minutes couldn't hurt.

The next time Zayn opened his eyes, it was two in the afternoon. He jolted awake. He had been asleep for two hours! He looked around, and called, "Niall! Harry!"

There was no answer.

"Oh, no," Zayn growled. "When I get my hands on those two …" Zayn went down the stairs, scribbled a note for Liam and Louis when they got back from shopping and some training and grabbed his car keys.

He drove to the park, where he was pretty sure Niall and Harry were at. He sincerely hoped they hadn't gotten murdered or attacked yet.

He parked the car and headed into the park. He knew for a fact that Niall's favourite place was either the football field or under the big oak tree. He headed for the oak tree first, since that was closer.

As Zayn approached, he couldn't see anything. He panicked, and then caught a flash of blonde amongst the green and brown colours of the trees. Relieved, he headed quickly for the tree.

He saw Niall and Harry laughing and joking around, but they weren't the only ones. There were two people with them.

One of the two other people had dark, dirty blonde hair, almost brunette. It was slightly wavy and he had bandanna around his head, probably to keep it from falling into his eyes. From what Zayn could see, he had hazel eyes with tints of green in them. When he smiled, his dimples popped out, though they were not as prominent as Harry's.

The other had blonde hair that was styled into a quiff. He had a lip piercing and his eyes were a shade of blue mixed with a little bit of green. He also had dimples when he smiled, but nothing could beat Harry's in Zayn's opinion.

Deciding he should make a move instead of staring at them like some creepy dude, Zayn stepped closer and called sternly, "Niall! Harry!"

Both Subs spun around, eyes wide. Niall smiled sheepishly up at him when he approached, crossing his arms and glowering.

Zayn tugged Niall's hair firmly and whispered into his ear, "Don't think you're not in trouble." He did the same to Harry, who pouted but murmured a quiet apology.

Zayn sighed when he realized that the other two strangers were looking at him curiously, and stuck his hand out to the one with the bandanna, saying, "I'm Zayn. Zayn Malik."

" _The_ Zayn Malik?" the blonde one gasped.

"Luke, don't be rude," the other scolded, and shook Zayn's hand. "I'm Ashton Irwin. It's great to meet you. This is my Sub, Luke Hemmings."

Zayn smiled and shook hands with Luke as well. "I'm sorry if Harry and Niall here were bothering you," he said.

"Oh, no, not at all," Ashton replied. "I'm happy that Luke's making new friends. He's kind of the shy type." He grinned and poked Luke in the cheek, making the Sub blush and smile sheepishly.

"Curls and Ni here … they, well, snuck out." Zayn shot them a stern look. "And they know they won't be getting out of being disciplined."

Ashton laughed and said, "Lukey's the same. Always getting into trouble. They never learn, do they?"

"Eventually, perhaps," Zayn said with a smirk. "Say, we have to get going, but it'd be impolite of me to just leave. How about you two come over for dinner tonight at 6? Only if you want to, of course."

"It's a pleasure," Ashton replied.

Zayn and Ashton exchanged contact information, and Zayn slipped the piece of paper in his pocket. Then he raised an eyebrow and pointed at the car. "Go," he said sternly to Niall and Harry. As Niall passed, he gave him a firm slap on his bum, saying, "Scoot. Pick up the speed, Nialler."

* * *

Niall was currently handcuffed to the headboard of the bed. He hadn't been gagged this time, thankfully. At least he didn't have the trouble of drooling everywhere without a gag in his mouth. He was blindfolded, though, but he didn't mind that as much as having a gag.

Niall jerked violently and let out a soft moan when he felt a mouth sucking a bruise just underneath his nipple. He moaned. It felt good. Judging from the silence, he guessed that it was Zayn. "I-I thought this was supposed to be a p-punishment," he gasped out when Zayn licked at his nipple.

"Oh, this will be," Liam said from above him.

Niall felt Liam press his lips against his own, and he opened his mouth to allow Liam to dominate and lead the kiss. Liam swallowed Niall's moan when Zayn sucked at a different place.

" _A-Ahhh_ ," he whimpered. "Z-Zayn, p-please …"

"Nope. Not yet." Zayn's mouth trailed and licked kisses from his chest and down to his stomach. When his mouth approached a certain spot, Niall jerked up, desperate. He was already hard.

"Keep your hips down," Zayn ordered huskily.

Niall barely heard him, Liam sucked a hickey into his neck. He moaned, his hips involuntarily twitching up again.

Zayn gave his clothed length one fast stroke before moving his hand completely, making him shudder and moan desperately. "I said, keep your hips down," Zayn growled.

Niall groaned. Zayn was so hot when he was going all Dom on him. He lifted his hips when Zayn pulled tugged down his pants and boxers. His shirt was already off; Liam had stripped him from it a while ago, practically ripping the shirt off of him while growling in want.

Now fully naked, he shivered when the cool air brushed over his skin. He shrieked, almost exploding when Zayn took his length in his mouth, sucking and bobbing.

"Z-Zaaaaayyyn!" he cried out, twitching desperately.

 _Hips down_ , he reminded himself. _Zayn wants your hips down._

"A-Almost," Niall whimpered, shuddering. He almost sobbed with frustration when Zayn released him with a 'pop', stopping completely in any action. Niall was sweaty and exhausted. "Z-Zaynie," he whimpered. "Li-Li. Please?"

"I dunno. Zayn, has he been a good boy when Lou and I were out?" Niall heard Liam speak above him.

"No, he hasn't."

Niall actually let out a sob of frustration. So, this was his discipline, he realized. They weren't going to let him come until he was completely and fully remorseful. "P-Please," he whined. "Pl-Please, Liam … Zayn … I'll be good."

"That's what you say every time, Niall," Liam pointed out. "How do we know you're not lying to us? Are you actually sorry?"

"Y-Yes," Niall wailed. A drop of precome dripped from his length, and he twitched. He was desperate. "Please," he said softly. "I promise, I'm sorry, I'm really sorry. Please."

"You promise to be good?"

"Yes!"

"You won't sneak out anymore?" Zayn inquired, brushing a hand over Niall's sweaty hair.

"I won't," Niall whimpered. "I won't, sir."

"You're gonna be our good boy, aren't you?" Liam said softly, giving Niall a kiss. "You're sorry and you'll behave?"

"Uh-huh," Niall whispered. The blindfold was now damp with his tears.

"Then come," Zayn said, his voice husky again. "Come, Niall."

Niall shuddered and he exploded. When he finished, he lay there, twitching and moaning and whimpering.

He felt gentle hands untie the blindfold and stroke his hair. "I love you," Liam whispered into his ear.

"Love you too," Niall murmured back.

* * *

Harry was worried. He had been told by Zayn that he would be disciplined by Louis. And well, no offense to Louis, but whenever his Dom had tried to discipline him, it had never turned out well.

And to make things better, Louis had told Harry that he would be disciplined in the morning, which meant that Harry had to wait until tomorrow to be disciplined.

He had heard moaning and whimpering from Liam's bedroom. He had steered clear of that area of the house. But now, the house was eerily silent and Harry figured that Niall's discipline had been finished, though he didn't know what exactly it had been. He wasn't sure if he wanted to know either.

He headed toward Niall's room and knocked hesitantly, fearful of what the blonde Sub was doing inside. "Come in."

Harry opened the door and entered, seeing Niall on his stomach on his bed. "Hey," Harry said. "How do you feel?"

"Pained," Niall said. "Or rather, my ass is. Otherwise, I'm good. Zayn spanked me good with that ruler after—"

"Shut up," Harry interrupted, flushing. "I've already heard enough."

Niall laughed.

Harry just sighed and sat down. "Lou's not disciplining me 'till tomorrow morning," he said softly. "I have to wait."

Niall frowned. "Don't worry about it," he assured. "Louis will do great, and so will you."

"It's just … what if I mess up?" Harry sighed again. "I don't want to disappoint Louis."

"You won't," Niall said firmly. "You'll be fine, Curly. Besides, either Liam or Zayn will probably be there to watch over you two."

The doorbell rang, interrupting their conversation. Harry wondered for a moment, confused about who it was.

"It must be Luke and Ashton," Niall said. "C'mon, let's go."

Harry hurried after the other Sub. They peeked down the stairs to see the Dom and Sub. "Hi!" Niall called with a shining smile.

Harry sometimes envied how carefree Niall was. No worry in the world, having two Doms that disciplined him and cared for him … He shook the thoughts out of his head and scrambled down the stairs to greet their visitors.

"Whoa, careful there, Hazza," Louis said, catching him as he stumbled at the end. "What's the rush?"

"I'm just excited to have friends," Harry said with a smile. He saw something flash in Louis eyes – something like guilt. But it disappeared right away, and he wondered if he had imagined it.

Harry and Niall watched as Ashton whispered something into Luke's ear, and the blonde Sub headed toward them.

"Come on, dinner's almost done," Louis welcomed with a smile. He and Ashton headed for the kitchen, leaving the three Subs.

Harry thought he saw a tint of redness around Luke's eyes, and wondered if he had been crying. Sure enough, Luke grimaced a bit as he sat down, clearing all wonderings about what had happened.

"Ouch," Niall said in sympathy. "You good, buddy?"

Luke just sighed and said, "Ashton has a mean swing."

"What'd you do?" Harry asked, grimacing. He remembered when Zayn had spanked him … he was definitely not forgetting that for a while. The fact that Louis would most likely be paddling him tomorrow also didn't help things.

"Well, I mouthed off to him," Luke said with a wince. "Called him a dick."

"Whoa, what'd he ever do to you?" Niall laughed.

"Well, er, I might've also gotten a bit mad at him and threw a plate when he told me that we couldn't have pizza when we got home." Luke laughed sheepishly.

"All that for pizza," Harry commented, slightly amused.

Luke pouted. "Be quiet," he whined. "Pizza is life. Anyway, my discipline isn't _completely_ over. I didn't apologize to him even after he spanked me and we had to come to your house, so the moment we get home …" He trailed off, shaking his head and looking apprehensive.

Harry just laughed. Then he smiled a bit bitterly and said, "Well, at least you got the relief of knowing that a part of your discipline is almost over. Louis' disciplining me tomorrow! I have to wait until tomorrow morning; can you believe it!" He groaned.

"Well, some Doms like to make their Subs wait and think," Luke pointed out as he threw his feet up onto the couch, poking at Niall's ribs with a toe, making the other blonde Sub slap his foot, mockingly glaring.

"Ow," Luke complained good-naturedly.

"I already know what I did wrong," Harry huffed. "I just hate waiting."

"Then he's disciplining you correctly," Niall pointed out. "Discipline is supposed to be something the Sub doesn't enjoy, Curly."

"Yeah, yeah," Harry mumbled.

"Dinner's ready!"

Dinner was relatively casual, with pasta and buns for dinner. The Doms sat on one side and the Subs on the other. The only disturbance to the peaceful atmosphere was when Harry occasionally poked Niall in the stomach, just to annoy him.

"Stop," Niall huffed, scowling and slapping at Harry's hand quietly so the Doms wouldn't notice.

Luke let out a little giggle.

When Harry nudged him again, Niall flicked a piece of pasta on the table at him. Zayn had reprimanded Niall, saying that it wasn't polite.

"But Harry started it!" Niall whined, shooting Zayn a pouty look.

"I don't care, I'm ending it," Zayn said firmly. "Be polite and eat, Niall."

"Haz."

Louis' softly murmured word caught Harry's attention. He looked up, green eyes meeting blue ones, and Harry immediately knew what Louis was telling him.

Harry let out a quiet sigh and said, "I'm sorry for annoying you, Niall."

Niall just grunted and then reached out and ruffled his curls, forgiving him without words.

When dinner was over, Harry noticed that Luke continuously glanced at Ashton uncomfortably, and Ashton coughed a little before saying, "Thank you very much for the wonderful dinner. We'd love to stay longer, but Luke and I have … matters to attend to. I'm sorry for the abrupt departure."

"We don't _have_ to leave so soon," Luke tried.

"Uh-uh." Ashton just gave him a look and said, "Say thank you."

"Thank you," Luke said, though not without a pleading look toward his Dom and sigh.

"You're welcome to visit anytime you want again," Liam said politely with a smile.

"Thank you," Ashton said as he ushered his Sub out of the door. "Perhaps another time. Sunday?"

"Of course," Liam agreed smoothly.

After the pair left, Harry just headed for his room, wanting to sleep.

His head kind of hurt, but he figured it was from the numerous events that had happened today.

The moment his head hit the pillow, he fell asleep.

* * *

 **End of Chapter Seven**

 **Thank you for reading this chapter! The next chapter will be up next Friday :) If you have any feedback, ideas, etc, please leave a comment! Questions are also very welcome. Ideas are also one of my favourites ;) Sorry about the bad writing quality of the smut scene, it was my first time. I'll improve, I promise! :D I also don't know a lot about 5 Seconds of Summer, so forgive me of Luke and Ashton were out of character.**

 **Question: Would you like me to put in lots of Niall/Liam/Zayn and other relationships like I'm doing right now, or just have 80%-90% as Louis/Harry?**


	8. Chapter 8

**WARNINGS FOR THE CHAPTER: Verbally abusing a Sub, but that's in a dream. Spanking with a hand and ruler.**

 **Chapter Eight**

* * *

 _Harry was surrounded by darkness. He couldn't see anything; he was practically blind. A hand grabbed at him and he screamed – or he tried to._

 _His voice wouldn't come out and that was what terrified him the most. Beads of cold sweat ran down his back._

 _"You're such a disappointment."_

 _Harry jumped at the voice in his ear. He spun around, and he could suddenly see. Louis was standing in front of him, but it wasn't the Louis that he normally saw._

 _This Louis had a scowl on his face, his cheekbones were outlined more prominently than they were usually, and his usually beautiful azure blue eyes were tinged with darkness and a dark shade of black._

 _This wasn't Harry's Louis._

 _This was a different Louis._

 _"L-Lou?" Harry stammered, being able to talk as well._

 _"You're nothing but a toy to me," Louis snarled, and Harry flinched at the harsh words._

 _"B-But, you said you loved me," Harry whimpered._

 _Louis let out a bark of laughter that made Harry break out in goose bumps. "You actually believed me?" Louis scoffed. "What a fool. How could anyone love you, with the way you act? You're nothing but a—"_

 _"Don't say it!" Harry whispered._

 _"You're useless," Louis spat at him. "Don't touch me anymore. Stay away from me!"_

 _Louis swiped at Harry and Harry went to dodge the blow, but his feet were suddenly planted firmly on the ground. He couldn't move. He could only watch as Louis lunged for him, that scowl still on his face, and—_

"Rise and shine, sleepyhead," a voice called as the blinds were opened.

Harry groaned. "Bright," he complained, opening one eye.

It was Louis, who greeted him by tugging the blankets off of his body. "C'mon, Hazza, you've slept long enough. It's already ten thirty; time to get up! Your discipline's at 12."

Harry groaned loudly again, remembering the obvious paddling that was to come soon. Great. Just his day. His head still pounded a bit, but he shook it off. It was probably nothing but a little bit of a headache from exhaustion and too much sleep.

He took a quick shower and came out naked, curls barely dried. He changed into fresh clothes – a green V-neck polo t-shirt, the one that he bought with Zayn and Niall on their shopping trip.

He hesitated, seeing the panties hidden in his drawers. Louis would surely bare his bottom for his discipline … would he get mad if Harry wore the panties? Was it better to wear his normal boxers?

 _Be a tease_ , a voice in his voice urged. _Wear the panties, definitely. Show off that nice ass to your Dom._

Harry laughed silently a bit sheepishly before pulling out the emerald lace panties. He put them on. They were strangely comfortable to wear. They fit nicely around his hips. He quickly pulled on a pair of running shorts; that would make it easier for Louis to pull his pants down anyway.

He was nervous. The last time Louis had disciplined him was when he had embarrassed Louis in front of his colleagues. He hoped this discipline session would go alright. He really didn't want to mess up. He would never forgive himself if he messed things up.

Harry had breakfast with Louis and Zayn. Liam and Niall had left to go somewhere early in the morning, and they wouldn't be returning until at least 5 in the afternoon. Harry purposely ate slower than he usually did, watching Louis out of the corner of his eye.

Finally, when he devoured the last piece of bacon and swallowed, Zayn began to clear away the plates and Louis cleared his throat. "You ready, Hazza?"

 _No._ "Yes," Harry replied.

"Good. I'm going to explain what's going to happen." Louis fiddled with his fork before giving it to Zayn to clear away. "We're going to go upstairs to my room, because I know that discipline in the basement doesn't make you feel comfortable. Truthfully, we haven't had the best experiences there."

Harry grimaced and nodded.

"Zayn will be watching. He'll step in if he has to but hopefully there'll be no reason to do that. I'm going to give you a choice. Would you prefer to be over my lap or over my desk?"

"Lap," Harry said after a moment. At least he would be able to have the comfort of physical contact if he was on Louis' lap.

"Alright." Louis gave a nod. "I'm going to give you a hand spanking. I'm going to think of two numbers before we start. After finishing the first number, I'm going to ask you your colour. If you say 'green', then I'll continue onto the second number. If you say 'yellow', we'll pause and talk, and if you say 'red', we'll stop completely. Get it?"

"Yeah," Harry said with a deep breath. "Is that it?"

"Well, after the hand spanking I'm going to use a ruler on you. With the ruler, you're going to get five."

"Okay." Harry nodded.

"After I finish your discipline, we'll cuddle. We can get some cookies and tea if you want, and we'll watch a movie together on the couch. How does that sound?"

"Good," Harry responded.

They headed upstairs. Harry took a deep breath. He could do this. He could trust Louis. Besides, Zayn was watching. He would step in when he needed to.

"C'mon, Haz. The sooner we do this, the quicker it's done," Louis called from the bed.

Harry bit his lip and reluctantly headed toward his Dom's lap. He bent over, fiddling nervously. Harry gasped when Louis yanked his pants down. He heard Louis inhale sharply and mutter, "Jesus Christ."

Harry was lost for a moment before he remembered he had the panties on. He panicked, exclaiming, "I'm sorry! I-I won't wear them a-anymore, I just thought—" He paused, listening for Louis' reaction.

Louis was just trailing his hand over the lace, and Harry had to hold in a giggle because Louis was tickling him by doing that. "Fucking hot," Louis whispered.

"Lou."

Both the Sub and Dom looked up to Zayn, who had just spoken. He gave them a look that obviously said, _this is a punishment, not a soon-to-be make out session._

Unfortunately, Louis seemed to shake himself out of the trance of Harry in emerald panties and pulled the lace panties down to his knees.

Harry gasped softly when Louis whispered, "Being a right tease for me, huh?"

Harry didn't reply, just tensed and braced himself for his spanking. When the first smack landed, he gasped and bit down on his bottom lip. Just because Louis didn't discipline him often didn't mean that it didn't hurt.

Louis had a heavy hand. Every swat made him flinch and hiss slightly. Around the fifth or sixth spank, Harry began to involuntarily jerk and wriggle around a bit.

"Stay still," Louis said firmly as he landed the next one.

"Sorry," Harry said, near tears by now. He was sure his bum was a good rosy pink colour by now!

He silently cursed himself for allowing himself to sneak out along with Niall. He knew he shouldn't have let the mischievous blonde Sub drag him into the mess! His mind began to drift, as it usually did when he was being disciplined.

"OW!" he yelped at a particularly hard slap, as if Louis had noticed he was getting distracted.

"You weren't thinking of something else, were you, Harold?" Louis asked sternly.

"I-I was," Harry stammered. "B-But not a-anymore, I promise!"

There were four main names Harry was called – Harry, his birth name, Hazza or Haz, usually by Louis, Curly by Zayn and Niall, and Harold if he was in trouble or in a serious situation. He didn't mind the nicknames; he used them to figure out someone's mood, mainly Louis'. If Louis was disciplining him or felt stern, he would call him Harold. When he was relaxed and happy, he would call him Hazza or Haz.

"OWW!" Harry yelped again, legs jerking a bit.

"There you go again," Louis scolded, pausing and rubbing Harry's bum. "Distracted." He 'tsked' disapprovingly.

"'m sorry," Harry whined.

Louis landed one more spank and then rubbed Harry's back. "Colour, Haz?"

Harry let out a silent sigh of relief. Louis was asking him his colour, which meant that they were almost done. He considered calling yellow or red, but he wasn't even sobbing yet. Besides, he didn't want to be even more of a disappointment than he already was to Louis. So he took a deep breath and said, "G-Green."

"You sure?"

"Yes. Green."

"Alright, then. I'm going to give you six more with my hand, and then we'll move onto the ruler, yeah?" Louis' voice was soft and gentle.

Harry almost let out a sob when he realized how much more he had left. He felt Louis stroking his curls, as if comforting him. "Okay," Harry whispered.

"Thank you," Louis murmured, kissing his head. "You're doing very well."

Harry soaked in the praise, almost melting on Louis' lap. The firm spank that came quickly was what made him whimper. He constantly reminded himself that they were almost done; he only had a few left.

After the six, Harry felt Louis reach for something, probably the ruler. Sure enough, he felt the wooden stick on his quite sore bum, and he flinched. "Just ten," Louis promised him. "Then it's done."

"O-Okay," Harry stammered.

* * *

Harry was doing surprisingly well considering he didn't get spanked often, especially by Louis. Louis decided to count for the Sub, and lecture him as he did so.

 _"It's best to lecture the Sub when they're about to break down," Liam said, looking at Louis very seriously. "That's the time when their mentality is weakest. As you lecture, you should stop about halfway through and let the Sub know firmly that you still love them and nothing has changed because of their misbehaviour."_

Louis was quite frankly terrified right now. One wrong move, and he could lose the trust he and Harry had building up at the moment. _The sooner you finish, the better it will be for Harry_ , he reminded himself. With those thoughts, he brought the ruler down onto the rosy bum on his lap.

"One," Louis said firmly. "Will you ever sneak out again?"

"N-No, I won't!" Harry sounded extremely close to sobbing now.

"Two. Even if I'm not in the house? Even if Zayn and Liam aren't in the house?"

"I won't!"

"Three." Louis grimaced at the next one he had landed. That sounded like that hurt. Pushing all urges to flee (because he knew Liam would rebuke his ear off for that as well as the fact that he wanted to give Harry some comforting discipline for once, if that made sense), he said, "What if someone blackmails you into sneaking out? What if they try to make you?"

"I won't go!" Harry sobbed. "I-I'll tell someone, you, Zayn, or Liam, w-what's happening! I'm sorry!"

Louis ran his fingers through Harry's curls and soothed, "Shhhh. It's okay. You're doing very well right now."

Harry let out little sobs. "T-Thank you."

Louis smiled before forcing himself to bring the ruler down again. "Four. Why am I spanking you?"

"'cause, Ni a-and I snuck out when Z-Zaynie said no," Harry sobbed.

"Nope." Louis paused for a moment.

"W-What?"

Louis ran his fingers through his hair as he spoke softly. "That was a part of it, but the main reason we're doing this is because you could have been in danger when you snuck out. Zayn didn't know for sure where you were, someone could have kidnapped you, and you could have gotten hurt with no one to help you. I know it seems like we're being overprotective, but I promise it's only for your own good and to keep you safe. Do you understand that?"

Harry nodded, and Louis reprimanded, "Harold, a verbal answer, please." Liam and Zayn had constantly reminded him and told him over and over again that verbal answers were better than non-verbal ones.

"Y-Yes, I understand," Harry sobbed.

"Good lad." Louis looked regretfully at the ruler. He looked up at Zayn, catching the other Dom's eye.

"Almost done," Zayn mouthed to him.

Louis gave a small smile and brought the ruler down six more times. It pained him to hear Harry sob like that, knowing he was the one who made him cry. _It's for your own good_ , Louis reminded silently to the sobbing curly-haired lad.

Zayn made a hugging motion, and Louis smacked himself in the head mentally before drawing Harry up to comfort him. "Shhh," he hushed, pressing a kiss to the lad's forehead. He scooted back so that he could lean against the wall on the bed while cuddling Harry.

Harry fit on his lap, snuggling into Louis' chest and sniffling, sobs slowly dying down. Louis was an expert at cuddling, having a bunch sisters that he took care of often when his parents were busy.

"That really hurt," Harry whined, looking up with his teary green eyes.

"Good," Zayn chuckled from Louis' desk chair.

"That was meant to," Louis said, and then leaned down and whispered into Harry's ear, "Sorry about that."

Harry giggled when Zayn just rolled his eyes and muttered, "You're such a softie, Tommo."

"Ah, shut up," Louis grinned. Louis ran his hand over Harry's curls, and gently tickled his ribs. Harry laughed, and it sounded like soft, melodic bells ringing in his head. "You're adorable," Louis teased, knowing what Harry would say next.

Harry pouted. "I'm manly," he argued.

"Uh-uh. You're a little whiny brat," he retorted teasingly, and laughed at the glare Harry gave. Louis shook his head and kissed Harry, not on the forehead but on the lips. Thankfully, Harry accepted it, leaning into the kiss.

Harry's breath smelled like mint, chocolate, and all of the good things Louis could imagine. Louis let himself enjoy the moment before they had to pull away for breath, both laughing a bit sheepishly when Zayn smirked at them and then left the room, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

"Shut up," Louis and Harry both groaned.

Zayn just stuck his tongue out and closed the door behind him.

Harry grinned for a few seconds. Then it faded away and he frowned, as if hesitating on something. Louis, confused, poked Harry gently in the stomach and said, "What's wrong, Haz?"

"I … I just …" Harry bit his lip, and then mumbled something incoherently.

"What was that?" Louis frowned. "Speak up, Hazza; I can't hear you when you mumble like that."

"I love you," Harry whispered, a flash of fear appearing in his eyes as if he was expecting Louis to backhand him or reject him.

Louis did the complete opposite. He leaned in, kissed the beautiful curly-haired lad before murmuring, "I love you more."

* * *

Harry was happy for the next few days, mainly he and Louis were feeling more comfortable around each other and because he had received a full discipline from Louis for the first time.

He knew that most people would think he was out of his mind if he told them that he was happy because he had gotten disciplined by his Dom. Most Subs and Doms hated discipline sessions. Not that Harry had enjoyed it either, but rather the moment after the spanking.

The aftercare.

The kisses.

The love.

When Louis had spoken the words to him, he had finally felt something. He felt as if Louis was actually telling the truth this time. He was still a bit cautious, but less than before.

 _I love you more._

Harry grinned like an idiot remembering the words Louis had whispered into his ear.

"Hey, Curly, don't just stand there! Help!"

Harry blinked. Niall was carrying a large pile of blankets. They were blocking his view and Harry was blocking his way. Harry snickered and considered leaving Niall on his own but he figured he would get in trouble for that and somewhat reluctantly took half from Niall's pile.

Liam had decided that they needed to do some cleaning up in the house. Harry and Niall were in charge of the laundry. Louis was in charge of vacuuming. Harry felt bad for his Dom, and he reminded himself to give Louis a massage afterwards. He knew how much vacuuming could make your back ache. Zayn was reorganizing everything, redecorating the house. He had already moved the couch over so that they could get another mini coffee table placed next to it. Liam was overseeing how things were going and clearing up the basement area, throwing out useless stuff and making space for new things.

Harry scrunched his face as he shook the blankets to get the dust off. He sneezed, making Niall scowl and reprimand him, "Cover with your elbow! Jesus, Curly! No manners!"

"I'm sorry," Harry huffed. "My hands are occupied right now."

Niall had no reply to that, making Harry grin in triumph.

Overall, the day was going fine besides for the fact that his bum was still aching. Though he did suppose he deserved that.

* * *

Louis was vacuuming the second floor and was having hard time getting the dust underneath the low tables. Honestly, he didn't understand why Zayn insisted on so many tables.

Louis finally gave up and moved the table over, knocking over a few magazines over in the process. He huffed in annoyance, cursing Liam for assigning him this job, but one particular magazine article on the front page caught his attention.

 _Dom Louis Tomlinson, Using CEOs Zayn Malik and Liam Payne for Money?_

Anger bubbling inside of him, Louis gritted his teeth and began to read the paragraph.

 _It was spotted recently around noon last Thursday when Dom Louis Tomlinson and CEO of ADS Liam Payne were seen talking at a public park. Not only that, but they were in a heated conversation. No one knows exactly what they were talking about, but it seems as if Tomlinson was forcing CEO Payne to take him and his Sub in. Out of pity and kindness, it seems that the rich CEO of the Association of Dominants and Submissives has indeed taken both in. The pair has been seen around Malik, Payne, and Horan, even going shopping together. It was noticed that Liam Payne and Zayn Malik were using their own money to pay for everything. It seems as if Louis Tomlinson and his Sub just don't have enough, or do they? Is this a pity act from Tomlinson and Styles, or is it the truth? Niall Horan, Sub to Zayn Malik and Liam Payne, and both CEOs will be scheduled for an interview about this new development going on! The true story will be revealed next Monday at 1:00PM!_

Louis let out a growl and dropped the magazine back into the pile.

He would get a job.

He would show those stupid paparazzi and media that he could earn his own money; that he was proud and he wasn't a beggar.

He was going to find a job as soon as possible.

Still fuming, Louis returned to vacuuming.

* * *

 **End of Chapter Eight**

 **Author's Note: Please tell me what you thought of this chapter! Ideas and feedback and comments are always welcome and a big thank you to everyone who is reading this fic! :)**


	9. Chapter 9

**WARNINGS: Verbal abuse from a Sub to a Sub. Also, a trace of bad Dom Louis at the end.**

* * *

"Harry?"

Harry looked up when Liam entered his room after knocking twice. "Hi," Harry said, putting away the textbook he had been studying.

"What's that you're looking at?" Liam showed interest in the textbook.

Harry just shrugged and said, "A book." He hadn't told anyone, but he had seen the article about him and Louis stealing Liam and Zayn's money and had been absolutely furious. He was going to keep it a secret, but he was secretly studying on how to be a teacher. He knew that Louis had a teacher's certificate, but he had never actually taken up the job after getting rejected several times. From what Louis had told him, he knew that becoming a teacher was a hard process but rewarding in the end with lots of profit. And that was the main target of this – profit.

"Alright," Liam said. "I was just hoping you could get some milk from the store nearby. It's not far, just about two minutes' walk. If you want, you can ask someone to come with you if they're not busy—"

"No, its fine, I'll go alone," Harry said.

Liam grinned at him. "Thanks, Curly," he said. He leaned in and said softly, "Don't let him know I told you, but Zayn gets grumpy when he doesn't have his daily dose of caffeine in his system, and he won't drink coffee unless he has milk in it. Picky." He shook his head and smiled fondly.

Harry laughed. He reached for his bag, knowing he had a few bucks in there.

"No, it's fine, take this." Liam handed him twenty bucks.

Harry almost reached out to take it, and then drew his hand back. "No, it's okay. I have money." He stubbornly refused to take Liam's money, because if he did take it, then he'd be confirming the article true to himself.

He wasn't stealing someone's money, even if it was for something as little as milk.

Ignoring the slightly puzzled look on Liam's face, Harry headed for the store. It was relatively peaceful, until Harry was heading back home with the milk in his hands.

That's when the commotion started.

"Oh my lord, it's Harry Styles!"

"Sub Harry Styles was spotted buying milk with possibly Payne or Malik's money—"

"Mr. Styles!"

"Just a few questions, please!"

"Are you truly using their money or—"

Harry bit his lip before he began to walk faster, hoping to shake the annoying paparazzi off. Unfortunately, it didn't work that easily. Harry had no choice but to run. Even then, they didn't leave that easily.

"Mr. Styles, why are you running?"

"Please don't run!"

"It's only a few questions!"

"Is he running away because he doesn't want to answer the questions?"

Harry stopped in front of the house and slammed the gate shut, locking it from the inside. The paparazzi with cameras and microphones and papers yelled and pushed against the gate.

Reluctantly, Harry spoke. "I'm sorry, but please leave me alone. You'll get plenty of information next Monday."

"It's only a few questions!"

"Yeah, why, you scared of answering them?"

"Don't be coward!"

"Come out here like a man!"

"Harry."

Harry looked back at the soft, silky voice. It was Zayn, opening the door and beckoning him. "Come inside, quick."

"Mr. Malik!"

"CEO Malik, a few questions—"

Rolling his eyes in annoyance, Harry entered the house and slammed the door shut.

"Hey, it's okay," Zayn soothed, immediately hurrying up to him. "You dealt with it calmly and respectfully, and that's all that matters. We're sorry for sending you alone, we should have sent someone else or with you."

Harry allowed the Dom to engulf him in a hug and murmured, "No, it's okay."

He had been hoping that the Dom would come out of the house and kick them all away, but he knew that would make even more of a commotion and not exactly help his reputation.

Harry pulled back from the hug after a bit, grinned and said, "I got the milk," as if nothing had happened.

Zayn laughed before thanking him and taking the milk to the kitchen.

Harry peeked out through a window, and was pleased to see that the paparazzi were reluctantly and slowly leaving.

Thank god.

* * *

The next day was a busy day. Harry woke up to Louis knocking on his door.

"Sorry, Haz, I didn't know you were still sleeping," Louis said apologetically.

"It's fine." Harry sat up, slightly drowsy and still asleep. "Did you need anything?" He groped blindly for the glass of water near his bed on the nightstand.

Louis sighed and handed him the glass before he could spill anything. "I just needed to tell you that I'm going for a job interview."

Well, that certainly caught Harry's attention.

Louis continued talking, oblivious to Harry's reaction. "It's not far from here. I'll be home by 4, at the latest, and—"

"You saw the article too?" Harry interrupted, unable to stop himself.

Louis gave him a look and said, "Don't interrupt, Harold, it's rude. And yes, I have seen the article."

Harry muttered an apology before biting his lip. He desperately wanted to ask Louis if he could come along and help, volunteer, anything to get earn him money as well. Before he could muster up the courage to ask, Liam called for them downstairs.

Reluctantly, Harry swept a quick hand over his messy curls before hurrying downstairs with Louis to see that Niall and Zayn were already there. Liam spoke quickly as he put on his tie.

"Zayn and I have to go for a meeting at the ADS building, so that means we won't be home until 6."

"I have a job interview today," Louis said, giving Zayn a glance.

"We can stay home alone," Niall chirped. "Right, Haz? Play some Fifa, hang out—"

"I don't know if that's a good idea," Liam began.

"Oh, come on!" Niall protested. "It's only for a few hours. Besides, we're adults! We can behave."

Liam hesitated. Finally, Zayn stepped in and said sternly, "Only this time. We're putting a lot of responsibility on you two. So, let me ask you." Zayn pulled Harry and Niall close and held their chins with his fingers firmly. "Can we trust you?"

"Yes," Niall and Harry both responded.

Harry looked up into Zayn's warm brown eyes that showed that the Dom was trying to make a decision. Finally, Zayn sighed and said, "Alright. Li, we have to go. We're gonna be late."

In five minutes, all three Doms were ready and by the door.

"Remember, don't answer the door, don't answer the phone, be—"

"Yes, yes, we'll be careful," Niall sighed, rolling his eyes.

Harry saw Zayn give Niall a look when he caught the blonde Sub rolling his eyes, and to lift the mood he added mischievously, "We'll try to leave the house standing."

"You're nightmares, both of you," Liam groaned. "We'll be home by six; Louis by four."

Once the Doms left, the house was remotely quiet. "If you're hungry, there's bacon and eggs and toast in the kitchen. Just don't bother me," Niall grumbled before heading away.

Harry stared after the other Sub in confusion and disappointment. He had been looking forward to spending time with Niall alone but with the other Sub in a mood like that … Harry just shook his head.

Like Niall had grumbled out, Harry didn't bother him and instead ate. He accidentally dropped the milk when taking it out of the fridge. Just to make things better, Niall appeared, probably because of the sound the milk had made, and huffed, "Honestly, you're so clumsy! Don't just stand there, clean it up!"

Harry bit his lip, blinking away the prickly tears that threatened to spill from Niall's harshness, and retrieved some paper towels to clean it up. Once the mess was done, he drank the remaining amount of milk.

"Give me that." Niall grabbed at the milk, and scowled when he realized there was no more. "Ugh, you're such a pig! You just got the milk today; you spilled it and then finished it! Honestly!"

Niall left a tearful Harry alone at the kitchen table.

Harry slowly took out his phone and texted Louis, hoping he wasn't disturbing Louis.

 _Hazza: Umm, sorry to bother you, Lou, but I was just wondering if on the way back home you could pick up some milk from the store._

There was a moment, and then his phone buzzed, indicating that Louis had replied.

 _Louis: Harold, I'm getting ready for my interview._

Great.

 _Way to screw things up like you always do, Harry Styles_ , Harry thought to himself. Sighing, he texted a response back.

 _Hazza: Sorry. :( Didn't mean to bother you._

 _Louis: It's fine. Why do you want the milk anyway? Didn't you get some this morning?_

 _Hazza: Yeah, but I just spilled most of it and then drank it. Sorry!_

 _Louis: I have to go for the interview now. I'll pick up the milk later. Don't get into any trouble._

Harry put his phone away and finished his meal quickly. He put the plates away, washed the dishes, and went to find Niall.

Niall was in the game room, sprawled on a couch and playing Fifa.

"Can I play?" Harry asked after a moment, though he did speak a bit timidly.

"Sure, whatever," Niall muttered, tossing a controller at him.

The boys played for a while, and when Harry finally won, Niall groaned and threw the controller down to the ground. "You cheated!" the blonde Sub accused angrily.

Harry gaped. "What? No, I didn't!" He was hurt that Niall thought he was a cheater. He wasn't _that_ low!

Niall flipped the middle finger at him and stomped out of the room in a foul mood. Harry frowned, trying to figure out what was wrong with the other Sub today. Niall was usually happy-go-lucky, cheerful, not a care in the world … what was going on?

Harry decided he should probably go and find Niall. He searched the entire house, and then spotted Niall in the living room on the couch, watching TV.

Harry bit his lip, swallowed his pride and said, "Sorry." He didn't cheat, but if that was what he had to stay to put Niall in a better mood, he would say it.

"Whatever," Niall grumbled.

Harry watched the blonde boy for a bit before sitting down on the armchair. An hour passed, and Niall switched off the TV before announcing, "We should play football."

"But Liam said not to go outside—"

"Who cares what Liam thinks?" Niall waved a hand dismissively.

Harry gaped at him. This definitely wasn't the Niall he knew. _His_ Niall was happy, not in a foul mood! Yes, he was mischievous, but not a jerk. And he had always paid attention to what his Doms had said!

"What, you scared Louis' gonna spank you?" Niall jabbed, rolling his eyes. "Honestly."

Harry scowled, and huffed, "Fine! But not outside. We're not going outside."

"Yeah, yeah." Niall rolled his eyes. "Just go get the stupid ball."

Harry frowned but didn't bother arguing, and instead just went upstairs to get the football from the game room. He passed it to Niall, even though he knew that this was a bad choice and he would regret it later.

"Ow!" Harry scowled when Niall kicked the ball at him and it hit him in the stomach. Scowling, Harry kicked the football back hard, gritting his teeth. He felt a rush of satisfaction when the ball smacked Niall in the face and smirked

"Oh, you're on, Styles!" Niall barked and swung his foot harshly.

Harry ducked and was about to bark a triumphant laugh at Niall.

Then he heard the crash.

Harry and Niall both froze. Harry turned around slowly, fearful of what he was going to see.

"Look what you've done!" Niall exclaimed. "You've broken Zayn's favourite vase!"

" _I_ broke his vase?" Harry spluttered.

"Yes! You shouldn't have ducked!"

Harry felt a surge of anger and he pushed the boy over, punching at his face. "Shut up!" Harry shouted, seeing red. "This is your entire fault! We could've been having a peaceful day, but noooo, you just had to act like a dick!" Harry gave one last punch and stomped away, sick and tired of Niall's dick-attitude.

It was only when he threw himself onto his bed, burying his face into his pillow and wanting to just sleep and forget everything, that he probably injured Niall. He glanced at his knuckles and felt a flash of panic when he saw a trace of blood.

 _It's probably just a nose bleed_ , he told himself, trying to stay nonchalant. _Hopefully_ was the word that wasn't added onto his thought.

Harry groaned when he realized what had just happened. He had beat up one of his best mates, broke a bunch of rules, and broke Zayn's favourite vase.

He was screwed.

* * *

Louis arrived at home, exhausted and just wanting to go to sleep. "Boys, I'm home," he called, running a hand through his quiff.

The interview, though it had gone well, had been stressful and tiring. It had been ended with the words, "we'll let you know of the results after our decision. Thank you for your time."

Louis got himself a glass of water from the kitchen, downed it all in one. He choked when he saw a tissue with blood. "Niall! Harry!" he called, feeling a flash of panic.

He saw a flash of blonde and hurried to the living room. Niall was on the couch, holding an ice pack to his eye and tissue to his nose.

"What in the world—"

"I don't know, ask Harry," Niall grumbled.

Louis felt a flash of anger and annoyance. Honestly, that boy … "Explain to me what happened," Louis ordered Niall, helping him change the bloody tissue to a clean one.

"We were playing football," Niall confessed. "Inside the house. And I'm sorry, but it was just so boring."

"That's not an acceptable excuse, but I'll let Liam or Zayn deal with that. Continue."

"Harry broke the vase in the living room. We blamed each other for it and Harry got angry at me so he punched me a bunch of times before storming off."

"That boy," Louis growled.

"It was probably all my fault, I'm sorry—"

"No, it's not your fault," Louis interrupted. "Harry should have known better than to do something like that. Stay here; try to stop the bleeding while I clean up the glass shards and give Harry a piece of my mind, as well as a good thrashing."

Louis swept up the shards with a dustpan and a brush, throwing them into the trash. Then he headed upstairs.

He entered Harry's room after a quick knock without waiting for a reply. He found Harry on his bed, typing on his phone.

"Harry Edward Styles," Louis growled.

"Hi, Louis." Harry gulped.

Louis just glared.

* * *

 **End of Chapter Nine**


	10. Chapter 10

**WARNINGS FOR THE CHAPTER:** **Spanking, and lots of it. With the hand, the hairbrush, and a wooden paddle. Bad Dom Louis. Unfair punishment which can be considered abuse.**

* * *

"It wasn't me!" Harry sat up, seeing the look on his Dom's face. "I swear, it was Niall! He was being a jerk the whole day and I—"

"Excuses, excuses," Louis growled, interrupting him. "Unacceptable ones, that."

Harry just gaped. Louis believed Niall but not him! This was so unfair! Scowling, he said, "Lou, please, just listen for a moment—"

"No, you listen, Harold," Louis interrupted once more, glowering at him. "I was just hoping for nothing else than a peaceful day with well-behaved Subs. I was not hoping for disobedient Subs who go against the rules."

Harry's heart sank. "But you won't even let me explain my side of the story," he said in a weak voice.

"I have a good idea of what happened already," Louis retorted, crossing his arms. "Stop trying to argue with me; it'll just make your discipline worse."

"But—" Harry opened his mouth and then closed it reluctantly, seeing the look on Louis' face.

"C'mon, be thankful I'm only using my hand. I know for a fact that your bum still hurts from the last time I spanked you but if you don't come here right now, I'm going to go get the paddle."

Harry wanted wail and stomp and argue that it wasn't fair but he knew that would just make everything worse. Slowly, he got up from his bed to where Louis was on the armless chair that was _so conveniently_ placed next to his drawers and draped himself over his lap.

He tensed, struggling not to make a sound, when Louis pulled down his trousers and boxers. He flinched at the first loud smack and painful stinging. "OW!" he exclaimed, jerking.

"Your bum was already pink and rosy from the last time you misbehaved," Louis lectured as he smacked down again. "Do you really need more?"

"It wasn't me!" Harry wailed. "Niall was being a jerk; he was being mean! And he's the one who did everything!"

"The more you lie, the more you start to believe it," Louis retorted, spanking mercilessly. "The sooner you start telling the truth the faster it'll be over."

Harry muffled his quiet sobs by burying his face in his arms. He couldn't believe this. Louis didn't believe him. All the times Louis had disciplined him (or at least attempted to), they had been fair at least! Louis had at least listened to Harry's story before disciplining him!

"It wasn't me!" Harry screamed, kicking. He involuntarily slammed his fist down on Louis' knee, furious that this was happening. "LOUIS!"

"That's 'sir' to you right now," Louis growled back, giving a spank so hard that Harry jerked and almost flew off of Louis' knee. "I'm very disappointed right now, Harold."

Harry sobbed. He could say yellow or red. But he didn't want to disappoint Louis any further than he already had. Louis was disappointed enough already. So he just swallowed back all of the curses and sobbed into his arms, feeling miserable and betrayed.

"I can't believe you'd lie to me," Louis was saying. "Especially after Niall told me everything. Honestly." Louis stopped for a moment.

Harry quivered on Louis' lap, trying not to let his weeping become loud. But that idea was soon gone when Louis spanked him again. He let out wails and sobbed, "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! No more!"

"Have you learned your lesson?"

"Y-Yes!" Harry howled.

"Tell me what you've learned then," Louis prompted, not continuing in his smacking.

"I-I, OW! D-Don't play football indoors," Harry spluttered.

"Good. And?"

"B-Behave even if you aren't w-with me."

"And the last one?"

Harry shuddered before whispering, "Don't lie."

"Good boy." Louis stopped.

Harry would've normally jumped in for a cuddle after being disciplined, but he didn't want to look at his Dom right now. So he pushed him away when Louis tried to hug him, and just sobbed, "G-Go."

"Haz, I need to care for you," Louis said softly.

 _Like hell you do,_ Harry thought bitterly, just crying into his pillow continuously. "I-I don't care," was all he said. "P-Please."

"You can always come in for a cuddle, yeah? I'll be in my room."

Harry nodded, sniffling and rubbing his bum. He heard his Dom sigh and head outside, closing the door.

Harry glared at the closed door later bitterly.

 _Why didn't you believe me?_

Harry curled up in his bed, feeling absolutely miserable and betrayed.

* * *

Harry avoided Niall and Louis like they were the plague. He didn't talk to Louis, except for when he absolutely had to answer a question. He didn't even look at Niall because he knew that he'd just get reminded of 'Niall the Dick', as he had named it.

On the other hand, it was obvious that Louis was trying to figure out what on earth he had done wrong for Harry to be so quiet and cross at him.

At 5 AM, Harry woke up needing to use the bathroom. He headed toward the bathroom near the hallway when a hand grabbed his arm. Jumping, Harry barely managed not to scream.

"Hey, it's okay. It's just me," Zayn soothed.

"You jerk!" Harry scowled. "You scared me!"

"I'm sorry, but mind that tone of yours," Zayn warned sternly.

Harry just pouted.

"I need to talk to you," Zayn continued. "Come with me."

"I need to use the bathroom," Harry argued.

Zayn sighed and said, "Go. Use the bathroom, then come to my office."

Harry quickly finished his business and headed toward Zayn's office. He hesitated and entered when Zayn called, "Come in, Curly."

Harry yelped softly when Zayn pulled him into his lap and pressed a kiss on his curls, saying, "What's the matter with you lately, Curls, hmm? You're all sad and quiet, and I know something's wrong. Is this about you and Niall breaking the vase and you getting spanked by Louis?"

"None of your business," Harry huffed, trying to push the Dom away.

"Hey, Harold, don't do that," Zayn scolded lightly. "I'm trying to talk with you because I care for you. Did Louis do something wrong? Did he go overboard?"

Harry just glared at the floor before sighing and muttering, "It's nothing."

"Harold, that's enough," Zayn reprimanded. "Tell me, or I'll whack your bottom."

Harry pouted. "You're being unfair, just like he was!" he huffed, making a move to get off of Zayn's lap.

Zayn wrapped his arms around Harry's waist, saying, "We can stay here all night and day. I don't care."

"Fine!" Harry snapped, fed up off the Dom's stubbornness. "Louis disciplined me unfairly, okay? I wasn't the one who caused trouble, it was Niall! The moment he got home, he believed Niall and not me! There, you have it!"

Zayn was silent and Harry's anger was still bubbling. "He promised he wouldn't do that anymore! He said he'd be fair with me! Yeah? Well, he did the complete opposite." Harry managed to rip out of Zayn's loosening grasp and muttered, "He's a dick."

"Oh, Harry," Zayn whispered. "That's what happened?"

Harry avoided Zayn's gaze, eyes prickling slightly. Zayn tipped his chin up and said sternly, "Harold, look at me." When Harry forced himself to slowly le his eyes wander up, Zayn looked at him very seriously and said, "Harold, did he abuse you?"

Harry shook his head. "No … he didn't … not like before. He just … he wouldn't listen. He just immediately assumed all of it was my fault."

Zayn just sighed and said, "I'll talk with him."

"No!" Harry yelped. "Don't!" He lowered his voice and his head and whispered, "I don't want him to get angrier."

"Harry—" Zayn tried.

"No, Zayn, please," Harry begged. "Don't tell him yet, please."

Zayn eyed him for a few moments and Harry continued giving him puppy eyes. "Fine, but you'd better tell him sooner or later or I'll do it," the Dom grumbled.

"Okay, I will," Harry promised.

Zayn gave him a small smile. "Good lad," he said quietly. "Curls, come here."

Harry hesitated. "Am I in trouble?" he asked hesitantly.

"What? Nonsense?" Zayn shook his head and then raised an eyebrow. "Unless you've done something I don't know of?"

"No!" Harry shook his head, shaking at the thought of another spanking before his bum healed.

Zayn gave a quiet laugh and patted his lap. "Over."

"Zayn, I promise!" Harry whined. "I'm not lying!" He stared at Zayn's muscly thighs in fear. They looked very uncomfortable to lie on top of, especially if it was for a spanking.

"I know you aren't, sweetie," Zayn soothed. "I just want to put some cream on your bum; help the soothing, yeah? C'mere, cutie."

Though a bit suspicious, at the sound of soothing cream Harry reluctantly inched forward and laid himself over Zayn's lap. He winced, not used to all of the muscle. No offense to Louis, of course.

He barely managed to hold in a whine when Zayn bared his bum completely, patted it affectionately and began applying the cream.

"Ouch!" Harry hissed, wriggling a little.

"Sorry, I'm trying to be as gentle as possible. Louis got you good, huh?"

"No shit," Harry grumbled.

Zayn smacked his bum, making him yelp. "What was that for?" he huffed, turning around to look at Zayn.

"Don't swear outside of the bedroom," Zayn said pointedly, raising an eyebrow sternly. "It makes you sound like you're some hooligan."

"Sorry."

"It's okay, just don't do it again. Now relax, it'll be easier when you're not tense."

Harry gritted his teeth and let Zayn finish the job. He quickly got up when he heard Zayn close the lid and pulled up his pants. "Thanks," he said softly.

Zayn grinned at him affectionately. "No problem, Curly. Now go back to sleep."

Harry returned to his room and flopped down on the bed, exhausted.

The next time Harry's eyes fluttered open, it was past eleven in the morning. He groaned. He must have been exhausted from talking with Zayn last night.

He definitely wasn't expecting to see what he saw when he went downstairs.

Niall was over Liam's lap, sobbing and bum bright red as Liam spanked him with a brush on the couch. Harry froze, not sure of what to do. Liam just paused, ignoring Niall's sobbing and whimpering, and just said, "There's French toast being kept warm in the oven, Harry. Go eat breakfast."

"O-Okay," Harry stammered before stumbling into the kitchen. He winced when he heard the smacks start up again with Niall's sobs. He was confused for a few moments until it clicked – Niall had confessed. Either that or Zayn had told Liam. "I swear to god, if that gorgeous bitch told him …" Harry muttered under his breath.

"Did you call for me?" Zayn entered, smirking.

"You told him?" Harry jumped up and hissed at the Dom, clenching his fists in anger.

"Whoa, calm down, Princess," Zayn smirked again. "I didn't tell anyone, I swear. However, someone's guilty conscience did get the better of him." Zayn pointed with his thumb over his shoulder toward Niall.

"Ouch," Harry winced.

"That's not the only bottom that'll be getting spanked today," Zayn added.

Harry frowned. "I didn't do anything … oh."

"Yep. He's in the corner in my office right now." Zayn sighed and shook his head.

"You don't have to spank Lou," Harry said softly.

"I do," Zayn replied. "He's gonna get what he deserves. You can't say he doesn't deserve it."

Harry hesitated. "You're not going to be really harsh, are you?"

"I'll be as harsh as you need to," Zayn responded. "You are welcome to join us. You can sit or lie on my cot and watch the discipline session."

Harry hesitated. "I'm not sure if I want to," he said. He personally didn't enjoy when Louis cried from pain and he didn't want to humiliate his Dom – it was unusual when a Dom was being spanked, not a Sub.

"Of course." Zayn nodded. "You can come upstairs whenever you need to. After breakfast." Zayn pointed to the bowl and Harry rolled his eyes jokingly before heading back over to his seat.

He watched Zayn go upstairs. He listened to Niall's sobs and blubbered apologies and wondered if Louis would be doing the same soon.

* * *

Louis jumped when Zayn entered the door and shut it none too gently.

"C'mere," the Dom barked.

Louis, biting his lip, hurried from the corner to where Zayn was sitting in an armless chair. He knew full well he deserved this; he just hated the fact that he had been so unfair to Harry.

"Louis."

"Yes, sir," Louis answered.

Zayn raised an eyebrow, looking slightly surprised at the title, but just pointed to his lap and said, "Pull down your pants and boxers, and over."

Louis, still stiff with nervousness, did as he was told without any objections – he had earned this. This was something new and different to him; usually it was him who had the naughty Sub over his lap, not him over someone else's! He was horrified when Zayn patted his bum and said, "I'm going to spank you hard. You know you've earned this. I'm going to start right away with the wooden paddle. Your safeword is 'red' and you are welcome to use it whenever you need to. Are you ready?"

Louis wanted to say no, he really did. But that wasn't much of a choice for him right now. "Yes," he whispered.

Zayn started immediately and mercilessly. Louis was silent with shock, but then he soon found his voice and jerked with every swat, yelling, "OWWW!"

"Hush down, Lou. You're louder than Niall when he's getting spanked," Zayn reprimanded.

"Not my fault that blondie's ass is so well-trained!" Louis yelped back.

"Just as yours will be if you keep the behaviour up," Zayn said dryly, not letting up on the spanking at all even as he talked. "What you did with Harry was absolutely unacceptable."

"I know!" Louis sobbed.

"I'm not even sure if you deserve to train a Sub," Zayn said.

Louis sobbed and kicked. "I-I knowww!"

"You always, _always_ , make sure you understand exactly what happened before giving out discipline."

"Y-yes, sir!"

"If there are two people, then you need to hear both sides of the story – something that you didn't do."

"Y-yes, sir!" Louis sobbed.

"What are you going to do next time?" Zayn inquired.

"Understand the situation b-before!" Louis wailed.

"Are you going to just blame one person after hearing one story?"

"N-Noooooo, I won't! I swear!"

"You sure?"

"Y-yes, sir!"

Louis was weeping, his shoulders trembling and unable to lift his head in shame. Zayn landed two firm smacks on each cheek before he stopped, rubbing Louis' hot, red cheeks comfortingly and said, "You were very good, Lou."

"T-thank you," Louis whimpered.

He made a move to stand up and move away from Zayn's lap when Zayn stopped him by saying, "What are you doing?"

Louis sniffled and looked at Zayn, confused. "S-Standing up."

"Nonsense," Zayn said. "C'mere, you idiot."

Louis hesitantly went into Zayn's arms – this had never happened to him before.

"You know that nothing's changed between us, right?" Zayn murmured.

"Yeah," Louis said softly. "Thanks for that though, I needed it. I felt absolutely horrible."

"I know, and that's why I did it. It's not good for both Doms and Subs if they're beating themselves up over a mistake. But mistakes are how we learn, yeah?"

"Mm," Louis hummed.

Zayn ruffled his hair and said, "I think you owe someone an apology, though."

"Oh yeah," Louis said, the thought suddenly hitting him. "Thanks again," he said and headed downstairs to wear Harry was, not bothering to check his appearance. Harry probably knew already anyway. Louis found the curly-headed boy at the kitchen table eating breakfast at a slow pace.

"Hi, Lou," Harry said when he saw him.

"I'm sorry," Louis said bluntly. "I was being unfair. I promise next time I'll be more sensible. I've been a horrible Dom."

"You're allowed to make mistakes," Harry pointed out.

Louis smiled. He loved his Sub. "I try not to," Louis said with a sigh. "I suppose things don't always turn out the way you want them to."

"If you're unhappy, then that's means that not the end of the road," Harry said firmly, green eyes bright and twinkling as always. "Endings will always be happy no matter what."

Louis laughed and said, "Of course. I love you."

"Love you too."

"Love you more," Louis said, and he meant it.


	11. Chapter 11

**WARNINGS FOR THE CHAPTER: More swear words than usual. Slight Bad Dom Louis. Spanking. This chapter is filled with angst and mystery.**

* * *

"Harry?"

"Go away!" Harry groaned, kicking his mattress as he was on his stomach on the bed. He was exhausted and felt grumpy.

"Harry, c'mon! We have to go eventually!" Niall grumbled through the door.

"Ugh! Fine! You suck," Harry snapped, throwing his covers off.

"You swallow," Niall retorted as Harry grabbed the keys from Niall's hand.

It was their job to check the mail every week, and Harry hated it. Paparazzi eventually spotted them and they always had to rush before more came. Harry hated the screaming, the blinding flashes, and the questions thrown at them. But he remained polite, though he did push through the crowd to get to home. The only reason he remained polite was the fact that yelling and swearing back at them would only set a bad impression on not only him, but Liam, Louis, Zayn, and Niall as well.

"HEY! IT'S THEM!"

"Oh for fuck's sake," Niall muttered and grabbed the mail, locking it hastily and saying, "C'mon, Curls. Let's go."

Harry slammed the gate shut and made sure it was locked before he stepped over the threshold and tripped, while Niall hastily shut the door.

"Ow," Harry groaned. He pulled himself up to pick up the letters. He picked up the one nearest to him, read the name.

Louis Tomlinson.

And it was from the school Louis had applied as a teacher for.

Harry broke into a huge grin. "Louis!" he shouted.

He was trying his best not to show it but he personally wanted Louis to be happy. If Louis was happy, then he teased and praised Harry, which made Harry feel extremely happy as well.

Unfortunately, it seemed like Louis wasn't feeling his best today.

When Harry showed him the envelope and exclaimed with a big grin, "Look! You got accepted," Louis just snatched the letter, muttered a quick 'thanks' and headed toward the kitchen.

Harry's shoulders sagged visibly, staring mournfully after his Dom's back as he disappeared through the doorway.

"Hey, cheer up, Curly." Niall poked him. "Louis' mood will probably get better by noon, yeah?"

Niall was wrong.

Louis remained moody at everyone. Harry spotted Liam and Zayn exchanging glances, Liam looking a bit worried and Zayn a bit pissed. It was obvious that Niall was doing his best to avoid the grumpy Louis – a smart decision.

But Harry didn't want to just leave him. So he attempted to make conversation with Louis and miserably failed, ending with the Dom snapping at him impatiently and Harry glaring back before stomping away.

He was on his stomach on the leather couch, sulking, when he felt a hand against his back. He looked back to see Zayn, who gave him a sympathetic smile. Harry just pouted.

"I know, Curls," Zayn sighed, running a hand through Harry's locks, making Goosebumps go up his arms. He loved the feeling of his hair being messed with.

"Hey, um, Zaynie?"

"Yeah, Curly?"

Harry bit his lip and mustered up the courage to ask. "Do you know why Niall was being such a … er, I mean, acting like that?"

Zayn gave a wry smile and sighed. "You remember the time I first spanked you?"

Harry grimaced. "Not forgetting that ever," he muttered under his breath.

Zayn grinned at him and said, "Cheeky little brat. Anyway, also remember the fact that I was giving you aftercare. Ni-Ni isn't used to sharing, especially his Doms. Guess he figured that if he got you punished unfairly, he'd feel a bit better."

Harry just grumbled. Zayn chuckled and ruffled his hair. "Hey, don't pout. Sure, you got your hide tanned unfairly, but at least Louis did too and so did Niall. Everything's good, yeah?"

"I guess so," Harry sighed, "not considering the fact that Louis looks ready to bite someone's head off." He rolled his eyes.

"Lou will cheer up eventually, either that or Liam will put him back into place." Zayn winked and said, "Sorry, Curls, I'd love to keep talking, but I've got some paperwork to do."

"That's fine," Harry said. He knew how busy Zayn and Liam were, considering the fact that they were CEOs of a famous and rich company.

Harry figured he'd head upstairs since there was nothing to do downstairs anyway. He supposed he could exercise in the gym or the swimming pool, but why be healthy? He was feeling a bit lazy today.

He was going up the stairs and had reached the top when he heard not-so-subtle growling and arguing. He bit his lip, considering whether to listen in. It was tempting. It wouldn't hurt, right? It was probably Liam and Niall arguing about something stupid again.

"You're being a right fucking dick today!" Liam was snarling.

Harry grimaced at the language. It was unusual that Liam swore. He was usually the calm, sensible and collected one. Louis, on the other hand was … sassy. There was no other way to put it – he had a sharp tongue.

"I'm not sure why you care so much," Louis said coldly.

"I care because you're hurting Harry. Don't you see that, Louis? He's trying to be so good for you; he's trying to make you happy. And what are you doing? Being a dick and punishing him unfairly?"

"We're over that," Louis snapped back. "Harry forgave me, and I swore never to make the same mistake again. Now shut up, would you? You're increasing my goddamn headache."

Harry was about to walk away in case Louis or Liam decided to storm out (he doubted they would be pleased to see him), until what Liam said next caught his attention.

"If you still a Sub under training, I'd whip your ass so hard you'd be begging and screaming."

Harry froze. Time seemed to stop. What had Liam just say?

 _"If you were still a Sub …"_

It hit him. There was a reason why Louis was such an awkward and inexperienced Dom, even he had obviously been training for a few years under the ADS.

Louis Tomlinson had been a Sub.

But why had he switched? And from what Liam had just revealed, it sounded as if Louis had been Liam and Zayn's Sub.

But why had he switched from Sub to Dom?

A rush of determination suddenly flew through Harry's veins.

He was going to find out, whether Louis liked it or not.

* * *

All Niall had remembered was the guilt overwhelming him, Harry ignoring him with angry looks, and him feeling horrible.

Zayn had pulled him aside last night after dinner and asked what was wrong, to which Niall had replied promptly, "Nothing."

It wasn't even bothering him that much. Harry's not-so-subtle avoidance towards him hadn't affected him at all. Pfft. Of course not.

The next thing he knew, he was bare bottomed over Liam's lap, being spanked hard with the hairbrush with absolutely no mercy at all. He had begged and pleaded and wailed for Liam to stop, just to let him have a break. Liam had ignored his pleads and continued smacking.

It had hurt, but the guilt had been hurting him more. And Liam had seen that, so he hadn't stopped with the spanking. To his utter embarrassment, Harry had come downstairs. He'd looked shocked when he saw him and Liam had just casually told him where breakfast was as if he didn't have a red bottom across his lap.

Niall grimaced. It had been possibly one of the worst moments of his life. But what was even worse was the fact that he had done it out of true jealousy. He had seen Zayn cuddling Harry after the first time the curly haired lad had gotten spanked and, well … Zaynie and Li-Li were his. They were his and no one else's.

Sure, he was a bit on the needy and bratty side for a Sub, but Zayn and Liam were who made him confident in himself and his body and his personality. He shuddered.

To be honest, his past … hadn't been the very best.

Niall blinked rapidly, trying to erase his mind from the memories. He jumped a little when he felt a hand gently grasp his shoulder.

He looked up to see Liam with his warm brown eyes filled with a tinge of worry. "Hey, baby," he said softly. "You okay?"

Niall's lip trembled and he dove into Liam's warmth. The Dom effortlessly picked him up and carried him to the couch and sat him down on his lap. Niall was horrified at himself when he felt a tear slip down his cheek and he hurriedly swept it away.

"What's wrong, Ni-Ni?" Liam murmured, running his hand through his hair.

Niall shrugged.

"Having a bad day?"

A nod.

There was a silence for a moment, before Liam said softly, "Was it the memories again?"

A pause, and then another small nod.

"Oh, Ni." Liam wrapped his arms around the blonde-haired boy. "You know that your family loves you very much, right?"

"They left me," Niall said in a small voice.

"No, they didn't. They had no choice," Liam responded. "If they had a choice, they would have chosen to stay."

"Sure."

"Ni, it was to protect you," Liam said, tilting Niall's chin up gently. "You know that."

"Yeah, and then they dumped poor innocent Theo into the orphanage. He's probably getting abused in there right now. And then if he's a Sub, he'll probably get abused by an asshole of a Dom."

"And I'd love to adopt Theo from there, but you know that the law of the ADS say that once you're in a BDSM relationship with someone, you can't live with your own relative in the house."

"It's a crappy law, then," Niall grumbled.

"It is," Liam agreed. Liam seemed to be looking at Niall thoughtfully.

"What?" Niall huffed, feeling self-conscious under Liam's gaze.

"Do you want to be little at the moment?" Liam asked.

Niall opened his mouth to say 'yes'. If he was little, he could feel no burden on his shoulders, no bad memories, nothing. But … something inside him made him hesitate. It was almost like he had to feel the pain he was feeling now.

 _You can't always escape from the heavy burden in life_ , a voice whispered.

 _But I can as much as possible,_ Niall argued with a frown.

 _Go ahead, but it'll always come back to haunt you._

Niall paused, then said very clearly, "No."

Liam looked surprised; Niall rarely refused being little. "What?" he said with a blink.

"No, I'm okay," Niall said firmly. He planted a kiss on Liam's jaw and crawled off his lap, saying, "I'll be in my room."

He headed upstairs, closed the door and stopped in front of his bed. With a heavy sigh, he lifted the mattress up carefully and pulled out the picture wedged in between the mattress and the wooden side of the bed.

He let the mattress drop back down and plopped down, staring at the picture and gently running a finger over it to wipe away the dust.

It had been a while since he had last looked at it or taken it out. His mum, smiling at him and his dad with a proud grin and Greg in the middle, his arm around a three year old Niall.

 _They had no choice_ , Niall reminded himself. _They didn't want to leave me. They had no choice, they were forced._

But in his heart, he wasn't sure if he believed it.

* * *

"Niall, just fucking eat your dinner!" Louis snapped, shocking everyone at the dinner table.

Harry was especially shocked, for Niall hadn't been acting out that much and Louis rarely snarled like that at someone he cared for.

Niall gave the feathery-haired Dom a hurt look which Louis ignored with a dark look on his face.

 _Just leave it, Ni, he's in a bad mood,_ Harry pleaded in his head.

But Niall was stubborn.

The blond Submissive sprang up and yelled, "Fuck you! You're a dick!" And then he made a move to stomp out of the room, throwing his spoon onto his plate with a clatter.

However, before he could step out of the doorway, Louis moved faster than Harry could blink and then had Niall's wrist in his tight, almost bruising grasp. "You're a brat," was all he growled before raising his other hand, as if making a move to slap the Sub across the face.

"Don't you dare lay a hand on my—"

But before Liam could finish his sentence, there was a blur and Zayn had Louis pinned against the wall, eyes flaring with fury.

That was when chaos erupted.

Louis punched Zayn in the stomach and the Dom grimaced visibly, eyes showing pain, before he kneed Louis in the crotch, and none too gently.

Harry winced in pain for his Dom and scrambled away from the fight, grabbing Niall as he did so. It would do Niall no good to join the stupid fight Zayn and Louis were in. They quivered in fear, as Liam tried to separate the two snarling Dominants.

"Stop! That's enough!" Liam shouted, trying to rip Zayn away from Louis.

"Leave us fucking alone, Liam!" Louis screamed back when he was held back in punching Zayn's gorgeous face.

"STOP! EVERYONE JUST STOP!" Niall screamed from where he was beside Harry.

To Harry's surprise and Liam's as well, Louis and Zayn did indeed stop. Zayn donned a right foul bruise on his jaw and the way he was grimacing every time he breathed didn't look so good. Louis, on the other hand was visibly in pain around his groin area and he had a bloody lip.

"You're all being such idiots!" Niall sobbed. "Fuck you! Fuck you all!" With that, he left the dining room, stomping upstairs and slamming the door.

The entire room was silent.

Harry said nothing. After all, there was nothing he felt he had to say. Niall had said enough. Giving Liam a look and leaving his almost finished plate, he just headed upstairs as well and entered his room, shutting the door quietly.

The house remained silent.

* * *

Harry woke up an hour later. It was 7:03 PM. He stretched, and ignoring his messy and tired appearance in the mirror, he headed downstairs. He was slightly worried when wondering how things had turned out between the two Doms and he was pleased when he found all three Doms in the living room, on the couch.

Louis held a pack of frozen peas to his crotch and his bloody lip had been cleaned up. Zayn held a bottle of frozen water to his bruises and he was breathing more regularly now.

What surprised Harry the most was the fact that Niall was next to Zayn and Liam, cuddled in between, and Zayn was petting his hair. When just looking, it almost seemed as if nothing had happened, but there was still some tension in the air that lingered.

"Harry. You're awake." Liam gave him a small smile. "C'mon, sit down. We all need to have a talk."

Concerned and slightly terrified, Harry sat down on the armchair and just gave Louis nothing but a small smile that ended as a grimace, and the Dom just sighed and gave his curls a soft brushing through with his fingers. It almost seemed like he was trying to apologize for what had happened.

"I've been thinking," Liam said, looking at everyone with clear, meaningful eyes. "We need to have a break."

Harry froze and his heart stopped beating. What exactly did Liam mean? Was he kicking him and Louis out?

"We're going on vacation. All of us."

* * *

 **End of Chapter**


	12. Chapter 12

**WARNINGS FOR THE CHAPTER: Some references to smut, and let's just say Zayn loses his temper**

 **Author's Note: Sorry for taking so long! I was having some trouble with writer's block. Well, enjoy this chapter! Please review at the end and tell me what you think!**

 **Chapter Twelve**

* * *

"What?" Louis and Harry gaped, stunned at Liam's sudden decision.

Liam gave them a clear, pointed look. "I don't think that needs much explaining. Va-ca-tion. Do you know the definition of that word, Louis? It means—"

"Yes, I damn well know what vacation means, Liam," Louis interrupted, giving him a glare. "What I don't know is, _why_?"

Liam just shrugged. "We've all been stressed lately. There's been a lot of paparazzi. Zayn and I have been stressing over paperwork lately, Louis' mind's been on that stupid teacher application too much, and Curls and Ni haven't gone outside of the neighbourhood in a while. There's only one solution – we're going to have a break. We're going on vacation."

"Where?" Niall's eyes were shining with excitement.

Liam shrugged. "Wherever we decide on. I was thinking somewhere nice and warm. Mexico, maybe? Or Florida?"

"HAWAII!" Niall exclaimed. "Hawaii, please, please, please, pleeaaassee!"

"I'm fine with Hawaii," Harry said with a shrug. "As long as I get to buy some aloha shirts from there."

Out of the corner of his eye, Harry saw Louis crack a smile and fondly roll his eyes. At least his Dom's mood seemed to have cheered up a bit at the thought of a nice, relaxing trip.

* * *

The date was decided and they were all packing. They would be going to Hawaii next week and would return after ten days. Zayn had booked a _very_ high quality resort, which Harry supposed would be full of rich people who could afford the price. Zayn had only allowed Liam to see the final prices, to which the two Doms had kept a poker-face on.

They had been very quiet in letting people know of their ten day vacation – or else they would be bombarded at the airport by paparazzi. They had only let their family and very close friends know, but of course, the paparazzi's ears were always open.

The day of the trip, when the five arrived at the airport and got out of the car, Harry was attacked by screaming and hands touching his hair. He gasped in shock and gave Louis a thankful look when the feathery-haired Dominant pulled him out of the girls' grasps and into his own warmth and protection.

Harry felt bad for Liam and Zayn and Niall as well. If the girls were that bad around him, they must be demons around the two Doms and Subs! He was correct in his assumption when he saw Zayn herding Niall closely, the Sub in between the two Doms protectively.

"NIALL, I LOVE YOU!"

"TAKE A PICTURE WITH ME!"

"OH MY GOD, HE'S SO CUTE!"

"ZAYN, TAKE A PICTURE WITH ME PLEASE!"

"I LOVE YOU!"

Harry's head was starting to hurt from all of the screaming and the bright flashes from the paparazzi's cameras.

"Keep your head down," Louis murmured to him. "The flight won't take too long, and we're in first class with all of the other snobby rich people so they won't care much for us," Louis joked with a grin. "Only a few hours."

Harry could barely hear what Louis was saying but he managed to make it out. The security guards at the airport were firmly holding against people. The flashes didn't stop until they stumbled inside the airport.

Inside the plane, Harry stretched. The first class seating was _very_ spacious. One day, he would be as successful as Zayn and Liam were and somehow repay them back for all of this. Just because they were on vacation didn't mean that he had forgotten about the article about him and Louis stealing the two Doms' money.

Harry dozed off after looking outside the window for a while.

He opened his eyes sleepily when he felt a hand run through his curls comfortingly. It was Louis, who gave him smile. It was filled with love and kindness, though a hint of awkwardness was still there. Though, it was an improvement.

"Go to sleep," Louis murmured, giving him a small kiss on the forehead, making Harry smile.

* * *

Harry was woken up by the flight captain's voice crackling on the audio.

"We have arrived at Honolulu, Hawaii. The current temperature is 35 degrees. The time is 2:37 PM. Thank you for flying with—"

Niall stretched and yawned loudly from beside him, rubbing his eyes. "Thank god we've arrived!" he announced. "I was getting hungry."

Harry laughed and rolled his eyes.

They all found their luggage in a matter of minutes, which was lucky considering that people usually waited for twenty to thirty minutes to collect their luggage.

"There's a bus waiting for us. It'll take us about three hours to get to our resort. Zayn got us a bed with beds and all of that fancy stuff," Louis told Harry as they exited the airport without much fuss.

Harry was relieved when there were no clicks or flashes or screaming. The warm, humid air blew his curls around and his body involuntarily shivered when he remembered the chilly weather back at home.

"Come on, quick, don't dawdle," Zayn called, heading towards the blue bus that was waiting for the five of them.

Harry hurried into the bus and the doors closed with a hissing sound. The bus driver gave them a nod and helped settle the luggage while Louis and Liam pulled the beds out from the folded up position that they were in.

Harry sat down next to Niall on the bed. Zayn pulled out some food and Harry's mouth watered at the sight of tacos. Frozen, but they'd be warmed up sooner or later. And he'd devour them for sure.

"Jeez, that was horrible, wasn't it?" Niall plopped down next to him, stretching. "Liam did say that there'd be a lot of paparazzi, but I didn't think there'd be that much!"

A horrifying idea suddenly came into Harry's mind. "Will there be that many people when we're outside and walking around?"

"I'm definitely hoping not," Niall groaned. "They're such a pain in the arse!"

"Language," Liam warned. "And no, there probably won't be that many paparazzi here. I strongly doubt it, considering the lack of flashes and clicks when we stepped out of the airport."

"Thank god," Niall huffed.

"Dinner's warmed up," Zayn called.

When they all were seated at the comfy chairs and moderately big table with tacos and drinks, the bus started to move steadily.

Harry got a chance to glance at the clock just as he grabbed for the biggest taco faster than Niall could. It was 3:05 PM. They would probably arrive at the hotel at around midnight. He ignored Niall's indignant yelp of, "Hey! That was mine!" and dug into the taco.

Liam opened up some of the blinds on the bus. It was still slightly bright outside. The palm trees were swaying with the warm breeze. As they exited the airport, Harry read the sign _'Welcome to Honolulu!'_

"I was thinking of some things we could do," Zayn said, catching everyone's attention. "They had this on the plane." He pulled out a brochure filled with sightseeing and activities for them to do.

Niall gasped and yelled something with his mouth still full of food.

"Ni, swallow first," Liam reprimanded with a fond roll of his eyes.

Niall hurriedly swallowed and exclaimed again, "Swimming with the dolphins! Please, please, pretty pleeaaassee!"

"Maybe," Zayn responded. "We gotta figure out other things as well, Ni-Ni."

Niall pouted. "Maybe means no, though!" he complained.

"No, it doesn't," Zayn responded sharply. "Maybe means that we'll think about it. And that's the end of the conversation."

It was obvious that Zayn was exhausted and stressed, and that meant short tempers. Harry noted this and tried to glare at Niall to warn him without being too obvious. Unfortunately, Niall didn't even look his way, just pouting sulkily.

Everything Zayn or Liam suggested, he just shrugged and grumbled at.

"Ni, how about snorkelling? Doesn't that seem fun?" Liam said with a slightly forced smile.

"Yeah. Whatever." Niall shrugged.

"Alright, that's it." Zayn stood up, making everyone, including Niall, freeze. The caramel-coloured Dom seemed angry as he grabbed the scruff of the blond Sub's neck, growling, "C'mere."

"Zayn," Liam attempted.

"No," Zayn snapped. "Liam, we can't just keep coddling him like a little baby. He needs discipline."

"Tyrant," Niall muttered, none too softly.

 _Crack!_

There was a shocked silence. Niall's hand flew up to his cheek where it was now turning red. Harry couldn't believe it.

Zayn had slapped Niall in the face.

Niall seemed to jerk out of his shock and realize this as well, and burst into tears before running to the back of the bus. He scrambled onto the furthest bed, ripped the curtain around the cot shut and sobbed.

Harry glanced around awkwardly, not sure of what to do.

Louis was sitting there, half-eaten taco in his hand, and azure eyes wide with shock. Liam was frozen, but his stony face began to stiffen even more as time passed and his eyes snapped with fury. Zayn seemed disbelieving of what had just happened, regardless of the fact that it had been his hand that had slapped poor Niall in the face.

"Zayn Malik," Liam snarled. "What. Have. You. Done." His eyes flared with fury continuously, growing as each second past.

"Alright, everyone calm down," Louis attempted feebly.

"No!" Liam snapped. "Zayn just slapped him! In the face! He's being aggressive towards our Sub!"

Louis shrank back.

Harry thought that Liam was being just a tad bit overprotective, but he supposed that was guaranteed considering how much Liam loved and coddled and protected Niall.

"I-I …" Zayn stuttered. "I didn't mean to."

"I don't fucking care!" Liam snapped. "Zayn Malik, you'd better go and apologize right now! And I don't fucking care if Niall doesn't forgive you! You'd surely be deserving of it!"

Hurt and pain flashed in Zayn's eyes, but Liam continued, eyes still snapping with anger.

"You just wait till we get to our resort, Zayn Malik," he growled. "I'm gonna whoop your ass with my belt; I don't care if you're my equal! Now, get going! Apologize!"

Zayn gulped and hurried towards the bed.

"Well," Louis said, breaking the silence filled with tension. "That was quite a change in the mood."

* * *

Harry was helping clear the plastic dishes and garbage from the table when heard a soft moan.

"What the hell," he spluttered, dropping his garbage bag.

Liam gave a little smirk. "Well, it looks like Ni did indeed forgive Zayn." He snorted. "Not that he was deserving of it, but still."

"What the hell are you talking about," Harry spluttered, barely able to talk clearly.

Surely, Zayn and Niall weren't …

There was another moan, louder this time.

Yep, they definitely were.

 _Ew._

And in that tiny cot!

In a moving bus!

"You see, Harold," Liam said, that sly little smirk on his lips. "There's too ways Zayn can be forgiven by Niall. Either verbally, or by … let's just say 'having close contact'."

"No details, please," Harry groaned.

"Hmm, we've arrived at our resort. Harold, go and tell them that they can continue later."

When Harry gave the Dom a horrified look, Liam just burst into laughter and said, "I'm joking, Curls. I'm not that mean."

"Thank god," Harry gasped, giving the Dom a glare.

"Though, be prepared, you will eventually see all of us naked, you know." Liam grinned and headed toward the cots.

Harry blushed furiously at what Liam was implying.

* * *

"You know you're still getting punished," Zayn murmured to Niall as they both lazily put their clothes on after Liam had rolled his eyes fondly and told them to finish later.

"Yeah," Niall said with a wince.

"I'm not going to go hard on you, baby," Zayn whispered. "I'm so sorry for earlier. I'll never do that again, I promise." He kissed Niall's cheek where he had slapped.

"I know," Niall assured. "I love you."

"I love you too; I love you so much."

They entered the giant resort. Zayn left Liam and Louis to do all the talking to the people at the front desks. His phone buzzed from inside his pocket and he pulled it out. It was Ashton.

 _Ashton: Hey, Zayn. Sorry for bothering you, but Lukey wants to see your two mischief makers. When are you free?_

He typed out a quick reply.

 _Zayn: Sorry, man. We're on vacation right now. Maybe when we get back?_

There was a long pause, and then his phone vibrated again.

 _Ashton: Dude, sorry, that was my Sub, Luke, who's in serious trouble now. I told him before VERY CLEARLY that he was not allowed to text you because you were on vacation, but it seems like he wanted to try anyway. Not sure what he was thinking._

Zayn quirked a small smile.

 _Zayn: Looks like you've got your own trouble maker to deal with now._

 _Ashton: *sigh* yep. Talk to you later, man._

 _Zayn: Of course. And I'm sure Curls and Ni-Ni would be pleased to meet with Luke again._

 _Ashton: Perhaps, depending on Luke's behaviour. I'll text you later. Have a great time there._

"Zayn, we're on vacation and you're on your phone," Liam reprimanded fondly.

"Sorry, I just got a text so I was replying." Zayn pocketed his phone. He knew better than to argue with Liam. He was, after all, the more sensible one out of them all.

"So, we got our room key cards and other information, as well as two more brochures for us to look through," Louis said as they all headed toward the elevator.

They passed a giant glass chandelier hanging from the ceiling. They sparkled in the golden light that was being projected. Zayn shuddered at the violent thoughts his mind produced – the chandelier falling and hitting them, injuring them badly.

Blood.

Everywhere.

He shuddered, wondering why he was having such nasty thoughts in such a happy place, and pulled Niall closer. He ignored both Liam and his Sub's questioning look but they didn't say anything.

The elevator ride was quiet, mainly due to the fact that there were two Subs – both girls – riding with them. Zayn glanced around awkwardly, wondering why in the world their floor just had to be the 28th floor. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Louis and Harry.

Louis had a protective arm draped around Harry's shoulder and he occasionally moved his hand and rubbed his shoulder comfortingly. Harry leaned against Louis, seeming to be deep in thought.

Zayn wondered if Harry knew about Louis' past, about him being a Sub with his … not so nice Dominant. He doubted Louis had told Harry; if he was in Louis' shoes, he doubted he would tell his past to Harry. The lad was like a little teenage girl, all happy and emotional. He suspected that the Sub knew at least a little bit about his Dom's past, but he wouldn't say anything. It wasn't his story to tell.

There was a ding, indicating that the elevator had reached their floor. They stepped out, hauling their luggage behind them. When they stepped into the _giant_ suite room that was practically half of their house, Liam and Louis and Harry began unpacking and subtly gave Zayn and Niall privacy.

"Niall." Zayn beckoned him. "Wanna join me in the room?"

Niall flushed a bright red and nodded silently.

Zayn turned on his heel and smirked to himself. Niall was probably thinking that they'd just resume what had been going on at the bus.

 _Trust me, little Ni, you'll definitely hate this punishment._


	13. Chapter 13

**WARNINGS FOR THE CHAPTER: Smut, lots of it. Use of a vibrating plug, cock ring, orgasm denial/control. Also, a dark nightmare at the end.**

 **Chapter Thirteen**

* * *

The moment the door was closed, Niall began to strip off his pants.

Zayn raised an eyebrow. "I didn't tell you to do that."

Niall's mouth formed an 'o' shape before he began to pull on his clothes again awkwardly.

"No," Zayn said with a purposeful sigh. "You might as well. Don't go too fast, yeah? Let me enjoy." He smirked like a sly fox, making Niall blush.

The blonde Sub continued to strip his clothes off, starting with his jeans, his shirt, and then his boxers. Then he stood there, waiting for further instructions.

Zayn just cocked an eyebrow again slyly and said, "You're not done yet."

Niall looked confused before he whispered, "Oh!" and peeled his socks from his feet.

Zayn was then satisfied, giving a nod to his Sub. "Good boy. Come join me on the bed."

Niall flushed at the praise but nevertheless clambered onto the bed. Zayn could already see that the Sub was semi-hard. Zayn inwardly grinned. He rummaged in his bag, pulling out three things – handcuffs, a cock ring, and a vibrating butt plug.

Niall's eyes widened, and Zayn's grin grew wider. He crooked a finger. "C'mere, you naughty boy."

"Sir," Niall began cautiously.

"Niall," Zayn spoke softly, but filled with sharpness as well. "Don't make me repeat myself. And besides, naughty boys don't get to make their own decisions, now do they?"

There was clearly only one answer, and Niall had the sense to respond correctly.

"No, sir, they don't."

The blonde Sub shifted closer to Zayn, eyeing the cock ring as if it were some murder weapon.

Zayn beckoned for Niall to roll over onto his front, and the Sub obeyed obediently. "Arms on your back," Zayn ordered. He cuffed Niall's wrists firmly and asked, "Is it too tight?"

Niall shook his head.

"Tell me, what are your safewords?"

Zayn knew what Niall's safewords were, but this was just simply a ritual they performed. It just helped comfort the both of them.

"Red for stop and yellow for pause."

"Good boy. As you know, since this is a punishment, I won't be asking you your colour during it."

"Yes, sir."

"I'm not going to be using lube."

Niall gasped. "W-What? But, Sir!"

"Hush," Zayn reprimanded. "Let me explain." When the blonde quieted, Zayn continued, making sure Niall heard everything he said. "You're going to lube the plug by sucking on it."

Niall whined a little. "B-But, I don't wanna suck the plug, I want your cock, Sir!"

"Naughty boys don't get their Sir's cock," Zayn said firmly. He brought the plug to Niall's mouth. "Now, suck."

Niall began to suck and Zayn's cock instantly got hard at the sound. He desperately wanted to fuck his adorable little Sub, but he doubted that would be much of a punishment.

When Zayn felt that the plug was wet enough, he patted Niall's head and considered taking the plug out. However, he had a better idea.

He said in a low voice, "Keep that in your mouth." Then he spread Niall's cheeks with his hands and began to lick at the little rosebud nestled in between the two cheeks. Niall moaned quite loudly, making Zayn growl and suck on the skin around the hole.

Zayn could see that Niall's cock was hardening more and more with each second.

"S-Sirrrr," Niall moaned through the plug still set in his mouth. "P-please, may I c-come?"

"Absolutely not," Zayn murmured with a smirk. He slid the ring onto Niall's hard cock, making the Sub whimper. "I don't think naughty boys who pout get to come, now do they?"

Niall whined.

"Now, keep that plug in your mouth while I enjoy the taste of you a bit longer."

Poor Niall didn't know a thing about this plug. He definitely didn't know that it vibrated, Zayn thought with an evil smirk as his tongue flitted quickly over the twitching little hole.

"Good boy," Zayn murmured. He finally pulled away. Niall was trembling and whimpering, practically a begging mess. Zayn did his best to ignore his own hard cock. It wouldn't do well for him to come in front of Niall. After all, he needed to show that he had self-control.

Zayn pulled the plug out of Niall's mouth. He was satisfied to see it glistening. He wouldn't have to put lube on the plug after all.

Insertions without lube was a red for Niall after a bad experience in the past, so Zayn had planned that if Niall didn't wet the plug enough, he would secretly add some lube to the plug without the Sub knowing. However, it seemed that the Sub was desperate to please his Dom, which was a good thing.

Zayn gently teased the cute pink little hole in front of him with the plug, letting Niall feel the plug. Niall moaned and trembled.

"Now, now, don't be too loud," Zayn rebuked teasingly. "We wouldn't want anyone else to know what's going on, now do we?"

It was obvious that the others already knew what was going on inside the room, but Zayn didn't want Niall to know. He got shy when people heard them. And shy Niall meant quiet Niall, and that was much too strange.

Zayn pushed the plug in once Niall was prepared, making the Sub go rigid, gasp, and tremble. He made sure the plug was nice and snug inside the cute rosebud. Then, he set the vibrations to low.

Niall's reaction was immediate. He groaned, feeling the plug begin to vibrate softly inside his hole. "S-Sirrrrr," he whimpered. He began to hump the bed mattress, desperate for friction.

Zayn spanked Niall's left cheek sharply, saying, "Hey, no rubbing."

Niall whined but obediently laid still, the plug vibrating inside him.

Zayn unlocked the handcuffs and rubbed Niall's arms and wrists, trying to get the blood flowing again.

When he was satisfied, he stopped the vibrations and patted Niall's delicious looking bum and said, "Up, and put your clothes on."

Niall sat up and gaped at him. "W-What?"

Zayn raised an eyebrow. "I'm not sure what part of my instructions was unclear."

"You … you want me to dress and go outside like … like this?" The blond Sub gestured to his extremely hard cock with the cock ring firmly around it, and plug still inside his hole snugly.

"You seemed to have understood my instructions, so now, get to following them."

Niall gaped for a bit longer until Zayn warningly raised the remote and tapped the vibrations button in warning. Niall scrambled to get dressed, jostling the plug inside him and making him moan.

Zayn smirked.

Well.

This was going to be interesting.

* * *

"What's up with Niall?" Harry muttered to no one in particular when he caught sight of the blond-haired Submissive shifting in his chair at the lobster restaurant they were eating dinner at.

Niall excused himself, face flushed, and headed for the single person bathroom. Zayn smirked and followed after him.

Liam and Louis both gave Harry a ' _do you seriously not see_ ' look.

Harry then put two and two together. "Oh."

Liam nodded.

"Wow." Harry grimaced. "I really don't want to know."

"No, you don't," Liam agreed.

They all looked up to see a flustered looking Niall and a very pleased looking Zayn behind him.

"He probably sucked Zayn's cock in the bathroom to relieve whatever orgasm denial technique Zayn's using on him," Liam whispered to Harry, making the curly-haired lad choke on his sparkling water.

"L-Liam!" He felt his face warm at the thought.

"What?" Liam gave an innocent grin. "After all, you could be doing that to Louis soon. Maybe he'll let you use that pretty mouth on mine and Zayn's as well."

Harry felt his entire face go red.

"Liam, are you flirting with my Sub?" Louis asked in a jokingly incredulous tone.

Liam just grinned.

Unfortunately, Niall had overheard and sank in his chair, looking a bit upset. Harry nudged Liam under the table and gave a subtle glance toward Niall and Liam had a knowing look in his eyes. He and Zayn exchanged glances before turning their full attention to Niall.

Which meant that he was left alone to talk to his Dom, alone.

Awkwardly, Harry glanced at Louis, who smiled a bit awkwardly back. "Enjoying the food?" Louis asked.

"Yeah, it's good," Harry replied.

They both reached for the salad at the same time and their hands brushed. Awkwardly they pulled away. "Go on, Haz." Louis gestured for him to go first.

Harry murmured, "Thank you," before he dumped some salad onto his plate, and then handed it to Louis.

"You know, I wish it wasn't this way sometimes," Louis said out of the blue.

"W-What?" Harry stammered, unsure of what Louis meant.

Did he not want him anymore?

Louis just jerked his chin a little toward where Zayn and Liam were peppering Niall with kisses, the blonde Sub giggling in joy. "Look at them, and then us." Louis had a genuinely sincere look in his eyes.

"Lou …" Harry trailed off.

"I'm sorry I'm such a horrible Dom." Louis sighed and stabbed the meat with his fork. "I'm going get better, though, you know that?"

"Yeah," Harry said.

"I know it's hard to believe, but I promise I'm going to explain everything later. When I'm ready and when it's an acceptable time."

 _What, the fact that you used to be a Sub but you always hid it from me?_ Harry thought. But he didn't say anything. So he just nodded.

Louis still looked apologetic, staring mournfully down at his food, so Harry got up quietly and asked, "Can I sit on your lap?"

Louis' face brightened just a little and he nodded.

Harry sat down softly and Louis wrapped his arms around him. Louis pressed a small kiss to the back of Harry's neck and Harry shivered at the warm breath near his ear when Louis whispered, "I love you."

"I love you too." Harry pressed a kiss to Louis' collarbone, knowing how sensitive his Dom's collarbones were.

Sure enough, the feathery-haired Dom shivered and teasingly glared at him. "You knew that was my sensitive spot, didn't you?"

"Pfft, noooo. Of course not." Harry grinned innocently.

"Oh, you little cheeky boy!" Louis grinned evilly and tickled Harry's sides.

"N-Nooooo," Harry squealed, laughing.

He knew people were staring at them oddly, but he didn't care. All that mattered right now was him and Louis.

Just the two of them.

* * *

"S-Sirrrr," Niall moaned when Zayn roughly stripped his clothes off, the plug vibrating deeply and strongly inside him. It felt like his cock was going to explode, yet it was still amazingly being restrained by the cock ring. "D-Daddy, p-p-pleeeeaaassee!"

"What do you need, Niall?" Zayn growled, trying to ignore his own cock hardening again at the sight of the moaning Niall.

"Y-You," Niall whimpered.

Zayn leaned forward and kissed Niall. Niall let Zayn lead the kiss, both not caring whether or not the door was closed. Liam, Louis, and Harry were off to go to the nearby store to get Harry an aloha-themed shirt as well as some groceries.

Zayn then pulled away, seeing the incredulous and pouty look in Niall's eyes. "Why'd you s-stop?" he whimpered.

Zayn shrugged, pretending he was oblivious to Niall's pouty look. "You said you wanted me. So I gave you a kiss."

Realization flashed in Niall's eyes, and he whispered, "I want you to fuck me. Fuck me long and hard, Sir."

"Hm." Zayn pretended to ponder for a moment. The only sound being heard was the vibrations of the plug that was still inside Niall. Zayn smirked. He unbuttoned his pants and stripped his shirt off. He stopped the vibrations and pulled the plug out. His cock twitched in interest when he saw the cute pink hole twitch at being empty after being so long.

Well, that would change soon enough.

"S-Sirrr," Niall moaned. "P-Please, hurryyyyy."

Zayn chuckled as he lubed up his cock. "I don't want to hurt you, baby. Be patient, yeah?"

He finally finished preparing, and set the lube bottle aside before lining up with Niall's entrance. He teased the little hole with the head of his cock, making Niall whimper as his hole clenched desperately.

Zayn, suddenly getting another idea, pulled the cock ring gently off. Niall whined even louder. "W-Wha …?"

"Don't you dare come," Zayn warned in a low voice. He saw Niall shiver.

The blond Sub whispered, "Yes, sir."

Zayn slowly inserted his hard cock inside Niall, making the Sub moan. Zayn slowly started to move.

Not too shortly, Niall begged, "Please, sir, may I come?"

Zayn growled, "Don't. You. Dare. If I see a single drop of come from that pretty little cock of yours, you won't get to come for a month."

Niall whimpered.

He was feeling quite possessive lately, Zayn mused. Not that it was a bad thing, as it did ward unwanted perverts and Doms off, but he suddenly wondered if he was being too hard on the whimpering Sub. Niall's cock looked painfully hard. It must surely be torture tot not be able to come.

Zayn finally took pity of the teary-eyed Sub and said, "On the count of three, on my command, you come. Do you understand?"

"Yes, s-sir."

"One." Zayn thrusted his hips hard, making Niall moan loudly. "Two." He pulled backwards, almost right out of Niall's hole, and pushed back in. "Three. Come!"

Niall let out a long, loud moan as he spurted white fluid onto his stomach, and at the same time, Zayn came right inside Niall, him moaning softly as well.

When Niall seemed to be finished, Zayn gently pulled out and kissed Niall on the lips. "You were such a good boy," he whispered. "Your punishment is over, my good boy."

"T-Thank you, sir," Niall whispered.

Zayn went to get a warm, wet cloth to wipe the both of them off, but he figured the shower would be a better choice. "You wanna go shower together, baby?" he murmured.

"Okay," Niall said softly.

Zayn helped him get up and move out of the bedroom and into the living room, towards the large bathroom about the size of a master bedroom.

Unfortunately for Liam, Louis and Harry, they decided to enter the room just then. The five of them just made eye contact for about five silent seconds.

Then Louis and Harry screamed, "Oh my god!"

"My eyes," Harry moaned.

Liam just smirked and not-so-subtlety ran his eyes up and down from Zayn and Niall.

Zayn grinned back and dragged a blushing Niall into the bath.

* * *

 _"Why are you such a slut?" he growled._

 _Louis whimpered. "N-No! You're … you're s-supposed to be in jail!"_

 _He just cackled. "You really think being behind bars I'll never be right beside you? You may not see me, but I'll always be there."_

 _"No!" Louis spat. "Get away from me. We're over."_

 _"Oh, you'll always be my special little Submissive. My little slut. My little whore. My toy, to use and abuse."_

 _"T-This is exactly why you deserve to be in jail!" Louis snarled. "And I'm not a Submissive anymore, so just fuck off!"_

 _"Mmm. Such a tasty little ass."_

 _"Don't fucking touch me!"_

 _"This is exactly why you'll never be a good Dom," he purred. "Why you'll always be_ my _little slut. Just look at this tasty looking body."_

 _"I have my own Sub, back off! Go burn in hell!" Louis screamed. "FUCKING LEAVE ME ALONE!"_

 _"Oh ho! You got your own little toy as well, I see? Well? Have you been using him well?"_

 _"I'm not like you," Louis spat, growing more and more furious as each second passed. "You're a lying little piece of shit."_

 _"Oh, really? Am I?" The voice chuckled. "Or am I just speaking the truth?"_

 _His laughter filled Louis' ears, and he fell to his knees, screaming and wanting this to end so, so badly …_

Louis woke up in the bed, drenched in cold sweat and trembling. He was quivering. He glanced to his right, hoping he hadn't been thrashing around or screaming. Thankfully, Harry was still sleeping, looking peaceful.

Louis sighed.

It was just a dream.

Just a dream, nothing else.

And it most definitely was not the truth.

* * *

 **End of Chapter Thirteen**

 **Author's Note: Please review!  
**

 **If you have any questions/comments, etc, you can contact me:**

 **Fanfiction: teddy1008**

 **AO3: teddy1008**

 **Wattpad: stardreamer_422**

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 **Thanks for reading! :D**


	14. Chapter 14

**WARNINGS FOR THE CHAPTER: Spanking with a belt, mention of Ageplay (diapers), mention of blood (from a sea turtle bite :p), and A USE OF SAFEWORD: Colour - yellow.**

* * *

"I'm hungry!" Niall complained for the fifth time in the morning. It was 9:00 AM.

Louis laughed and suggested to Liam, "How about I take Haz and Niall to breakfast and you two can join us once you're ready?"

"Oh, alright," Liam agreed with a fond smile at Niall.

Zayn was about to head to the washroom to take a quick morning shower and style his growing hair when he was stopped by Liam's hand on his shoulder. Confused, he frowned at his lover and said, "Li?"

Liam had that serious look on his face, and that made Zayn feel uneasy. "We need to talk, Zayn."

Oh god. Zayn immediately knew that it probably wasn't something good, but he just nodded and sat down on the armchair. Liam did the same on the opposite side. They both looked at the fireplace that seemed like it had never been lit up before.

"Kind of stupid to put in a fireplace," Liam commented.

Zayn blinked. "What?"

"I mean, I doubt someone's gonna use it," Liam pointed out. "It's always so hot here."

Zayn just nodded, just wanting to get this 'talk' over with. He had already guessed what it was and he wasn't going to complain. He deserved it.

Suddenly, Liam got up with a determined look in his eyes. "I really hate to do this, Zee," he said quietly. "But you and I both know that we have to do this."

"Yeah," Zayn muttered.

"I'm going to use my belt."

Zayn's head snapped up involuntarily, eyes wide. The belt fucking hurt! He had only been spanked by the belt twice in his entire life, once by his father, and once by Liam when they were … experimenting, and he'd never wanted to experience it again, after both times.

"Not a lot," Liam added quickly, seeing the horrified look on his face. "I know your limits. Just six, how's that? Can you do that for me?"

Zayn nodded. There was a lump in his throat that forced him to stay quiet. He could do this. For Liam. For Niall.

He deserved it.

"Good," Liam said with a smile. "Want to bend over the desk, or over my lap?"

Zayn paused, then said, "Lap." He felt that Liam spanked him less harder if he went over his lap. Not that he was trying to get out of it, but still … the belt was hell.

"Alright. C'mon, Zee. The faster we get it over with, the faster we can get downstairs for breakfast. Let's hope Niall didn't already finish the entire buffet." Liam cracked a smile.

Zayn tried to smile back but he just couldn't. After all, he was about to get ass strapped. No one could possibly smile if they were in his position. He went over Liam's lap, shifting uncomfortably. It had been a while since he was in this position. Doms rarely got spanked by their significant other, after all. He doubted other partners did this to each other, even if there were two Doms.

Lost in his thoughts, Zayn was unaware that Liam had started, so when the first harsh slap came down on his naked behind, he yelped at the sudden sting. It continued smoothly – no wailing, no arguing, no kicking. Just a limp, wincing Zayn over Liam's lap.

Neither of them were often put in the position Zayn was currently in, and even if they were, they made sure that Niall didn't know, considering the fact that Niall was quite cheeky and would possibly lose his respect toward his Doms if he knew that they occasionally got punished as well by each other.

After the final slap, Zayn immediately stood up, eyes glistening with unshed tears from pain.

Liam engulfed him in a tight hug, mumbling, "Let's not have to do that again."

With a sigh, the two separated and Zayn headed straight for the washroom after exchanging a few words with Liam.

"Zaynie, hurry up please," Liam said, exasperated.

Zayn grumbled as he fixed his hair up, saying, "You're the one who made me mess my hair up. It was perfectly fine before."

Eventually, after taking his sweet time, he stood up and gave Liam a bright smile, ignoring the stinging on his backside. "Let's go. Lou probably didn't let them start eating yet. Niall's dying of hunger."

Liam rolled his eyes fondly and the two headed downstairs for breakfast.

* * *

The boys decided to go snorkelling, as the weather was beautiful and sunny. Niall was hopping in excitement at the fact that they would be snorkelling with fish and sea turtles that were perfectly safe, according to a guide who was helping them.

Harry was excited too. This was his first vacation with Louis, and so far he loved it. They planned to get pizza after snorkelling, as the boys would be hungry after all of the fun. Then at night, they were going to go on a Sunset Cruise. Harry was glad he brought his camera; he'd definitely be taking a bunch of pictures.

As Louis helped Harry get his gear on for snorkelling, he saw a chocolate brown-haired Sub run across the beach.

"Tyler! Get over here!" a woman called after him.

Harry watched as the boy stopped, giggling. He looked to be about 18. Subs and Doms were usually paired when the Submissive reached the age of 15 or 16.

"But, Mommy, the sand is _so_ squishy!" the boy, Tyler, squealed.

"What did Mommy say, little boy?" the woman scolded, grabbing his hand.

"Don't go out of Mommy's sight," the mischievous boy recited with an exaggerated sigh.

Harry watched the whole scene in interest as Louis poked and tugged at him, helping him get his things on properly. Harry couldn't help but notice that the boy was wearing a diaper.

He gave Louis a questioning look, and Louis just mouthed, "Later."

They both waited until the pair disappeared, and Louis began to get his own stuff on as he explained. "Ageplay," he said simply.

"We do ageplay sometimes, and I don't wear a diaper," Harry frowned.

"Haz, don't be rude."

"I wasn't trying to be," Harry said defensively.

Louis just rolled his eyes and said, "We do a milder form of ageplay. Unless you'd rather go all out instead like they do?"

"No thank you," Harry said after hesitation. "Maybe one day, but not yet."

Louis just gave a nod.

"Hey! You two lovebirds hurry up!"

Louis and Harry grinned at each other as Niall called them impatiently, shifting from foot to foot, and received a small swat from Zayn for being loud and impatient.

Harry reached the shore and stepped into the water, a shiver running up his spine at the pleasurably cool water against his hot, sweaty skin. Louis grinned at him, poking his Sub in the rib playfully and saying, "Ready, Hazza?"

"Yep." Harry grinned back.

They both dove in, and Harry gasped and almost choked on the mouthpiece of his snorkelling gear. It was absolutely beautiful underwater. There were peach and pink coloured coral and white, shimmering shells embedded in the sand. He thought he saw a flash of a sea turtle's back leg and he glanced forward. Little silver minnows darted through the seaweed and shells and flitted around, scattering when he approached them.

He glanced beside him and saw that Louis looked equally amazed. They swam for a while until Liam motioned that it was time to go back. Everything was going well until Harry saw Niall near the shore, almost on the beach, wailing loudly with Zayn beside him and Liam rushing off somewhere.

Surprised, he and Louis both exchanged a glance before they came to the shore as well.

Harry shivered as the cold air blew against his wet skin, and he subconsciously pressed against Louis. Thankfully, the other boy didn't seem to mind, instead seeming to pull Harry closer.

Harry gasped when the pair neared Niall. Niall was still whining and squirming. He had a thankfully shallow bite mark on the calf of his leg. Zayn was speaking rapidly to him. "…hmm? What did Liam and I tell you?"

"Don't touch the sea turtles, but Zaaaayynnn," Niall whined.

"Ah!" Zayn's eyes snapped. "That's enough; I don't want to hear any more whining."

Niall sniffled. "You're mean! And I'm hurt as well."

Zayn sighed and said, "Shhh, Ni. Liam will be back soon with some help." He looked up, grumbling, "Where's the damn bloody lifeguards at this beach?"

"You okay, little Ni-Ni?" Louis said sympathetically.

"No," Niall pouted. "The stupid turtle bit me."

"You can't exactly blame it," Zayn pointed out. "You grabbed it, what else did you expect it to do?"

"Liam's coming," Harry said.

Soon enough, Niall was all patched up, the bleeding stopped and bandages wrapped around his leg by a kind Domme lifeguard with her Sub beside her.

"Be safe out there, little one. Just keep it bandaged up for a little bit just to make sure the bleeding stops, and then you can move around like usual," she said with a kind smile and ruffled Niall's hair. She gave Harry a pat on the back before saying, "Hector, come along." Her Sub obediently followed her after a polite smile.

* * *

The five boys were eating at an amazing steak place at the moment for dinner. Niall had removed his bandages after a good night's sleep, and thankfully, the wound had been shallow and had healed quickly with the effects of medicine and bandages, which he had been thankful for. Liam hadn't stopped nagging on and on about it. He rolled his eyes at the memory.

He was feeling a bit grumpy at the moment. The weather was extremely hot, even in the winter, and either Liam or Zayn had been at his side constantly, worrying and fussing over him. Niall knew that it was only because they cared for him as his Doms and his lovers, but honestly! He wasn't a five year old. He couldn't help but roll his eyes again.

Unfortunately, Liam caught him and frowned. "What's up with you, Ni?" he commented as he cut a piece of his steak.

"What?" Niall muttered as he shovelled a piece of meat into his mouth and purposely avoided making eye contact with Liam. Instead, he looked around and grimaced when he saw a collared Sub kneeling next to his Dom's chair, being hand-fed by his Dom.

Niall didn't enjoy or like public play, which was mainly the reason the three of them had never bothered to actually try it out. Besides, there were strict rules in public places – and two of them were no nakedness and no sex in public places. Kneeling, kissing, leashing of a Sub, collaring – they were all allowed, but you weren't allowed to actually show an excessive amount of skin.

"Niall."

Niall glanced around at their table. Louis and Harry seemed a bit closer than before, which he supposed was a good thing. They were both whispering and occasionally Louis seemed to muster up the courage to spoon up a bit of his steak and feed it to Harry lovingly. Zayn was silently observing Liam and Niall.

Niall could feel Liam's gaze burning deep into him. "Yes, sir?" he murmured.

"Niall, are you alright?"

Niall couldn't help but huff and rolled his eyes. "Honestly, Liam, I'm fine," he grumbled. "I'm not a baby."

Liam's eyebrows shot up at the attitude. "Well, you're certainly acting like one," he said coolly.

Niall glared down at his steak, the meat suddenly not tasting as good as before. "No one asked you," he muttered under his breath. Unfortunately, he had forgotten that Liam had the ears of a wolf. He immediately stiffened and Niall braced himself for what was to come next with a grimace.

He knew how much Liam didn't approve of inappropriate attitude – even more than Zayn, actually. And that was saying a lot.

Liam snapped his fingers and pointed down at the carpet floor. "Kneel."

Niall's jaw dropped, eyes widening. Kneel? In a public place? Liam _knew_ how much Niall hated the public's eyes on him! Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Louis and Harry watching the interaction awkwardly.

"Niall! _Now_."

Niall gulped. That was Liam's _Dom voice_ coming out. Trembling, he dropped to his knees, wincing at the hard ground.

He felt a possessive hand bury in his hair – Liam's hand. Niall felt himself tearing up. Never before had Liam done this to him, at least not in public.

Did that mean he was bad?

Was he a bad Submissive?

Was Liam gonna send him away?

Everyone was staring and thinking he was so, so dumb and useless; he knew it!

He felt his head begin to spin more and more as insane thoughts overwhelmed his brain. He felt a shift in Liam's hand, and the Dom bent down to become eye level with the kneeling Sub.

"Niall?" Liam said softly. "Are you alright?"

Niall wanted to answer badly, say that he was fine, but he couldn't bring himself to do so. Because then, he'd be lying. He wasn't fine. He felt himself going slightly under.

"L-Liam," he whimpered.

"Ni-Ni? Please, answer me? Colour?"

Niall felt tears drop down his cheeks as he whispered, "Yellow."

Liam immediately swept him up into his arms and carried him outside. Niall was in a daze, whimpering and clutching desperately at Liam. He needed to feel his Dom, make sure that he was loved and safe.

He felt Liam sit down and rock him gently, cradling him preciously. "Shhh, Ni," Liam murmured. "You're safe and sound. It's okay. I love you. Zayn loves you. We all love you. We're never letting you go."

"Kiss me," Niall whimpered.

Liam immediately obliged, kissing him lovingly on the lips, then literally everywhere on his face. Niall smiled weakly.

"'m sorry for safewording," he whispered quietly.

Liam went pale and immediately said, "No, Niall, don't ever apologize for safewording. In fact, I'm _glad_ you did so. You need to let me know when I'm pushing you too much. I was pushing your limits quite a lot there, wasn't I, my precious cub?"

"Y-yeah," Niall sniffled.

"I'm so sorry, my beautiful Ni," Liam murmured. "I should have recognized the warning signs."

Niall gazed dazedly up at his Dom and touched his face. "You're so beautiful," he murmured. "It's okay, Li. Everyone makes m-mistakes." He yawned, suddenly feeling extremely drowsy.

"Love you," Liam whispered.

"Love you more," Niall murmured back.

"Love you most."

Niall promptly fell asleep, his last thought being, _I hope Harry feels this kind of love too._

Because this was all Subs needed – love, care, and a safe haven.


	15. Chapter 15

**WARNINGS FOR THE CHAPTER: Swear words, mentions of belting, punishment**

* * *

"Psst! Curls! Curly, wake up!"

Harry let out a small groan and turned on his side in the bed, jostling Louis a bit. The Dom let out a small grumble. The feathery-haired boy had been feeling a bit ill. Apparently lobster didn't go well with his stomach, so he was sleeping off his pain.

Harry slapped randomly at a hand that was poking his shoulder quite insistently. Eventually he couldn't take it anymore and grumpily opened his eyes with a glare. "Niall, you dick, what do you want?" he hissed, shooting a glance at Louis.

"Follow me, and be quiet," Niall whispered. "Zayn will kill me if he realizes."

"Realizes what?" Harry huffed, clambering as quietly as he could out of the bed. Thankfully, Louis remained still and continued sleeping.

He pulled on a sweater and some shoes before following Niall outside. As he passed by the door, he caught a glimpse of the clock.

"Niall, what the fuck, its 1 AM right now," he hissed, carefully shutting the door behind him.

"That's the point!" Niall whispered excitedly as he dragged Harry to the elevator. "We can swim and look at the stars! It'll be so fun!" he giggled.

Harry stopped, even though they were already in the elevator. "Niall," he groaned. "You're insane."

"It'll be pretty," Niall pouted. "Pleeeeaase, Curly? Just once? We won't get caught!"

Harry snorted. "Niall, that's practically what everyone says in a movie before they find themselves being tortured or in prison."

"Yeah, well, this isn't a movie."

Before Harry could retaliate, the elevator suddenly stopped. "Uh, what the hell?" he said a bit nervously. He'd heard a bunch of stories about people getting trapped in elevators, and couldn't help but begin to sweat a little. The stories weren't exactly all rainbows and unicorns. Quite the opposite, to be honest.

The door opened and two men stepped in. Harry and Niall both stepped back immediately.

The two strangers practically radiated dominance, sending shivers down Harry and Niall's spines.

 _Stupid Sub instincts,_ Harry grumbled.

"Um, Curly?" Niall whispered, biting his lip anxiously.

"Shhh," Harry mumbled. "Just don't look at them or else they might—"

Before Harry got a chance to finish his sentence, one of the men looked straight at them. Harry held his breath immediately.

Both men were, well, extremely hot if he was being honest. The guy closest to them had soft chocolate brown hair that was swept to one side neatly with a few strands falling out. He had piercing gray eyes that seemed to incinerate everything he looked at.

The other had lighter hair, dirty blond. His eyes were a pale green mixed with spots of brown. He wore a leather jacket and his hair fell just below his ears.

"Uh, hi?" Niall squeaked, eyes wide.

"Shut up!" Harry hissed.

To his surprise, the man with gray eyes just smiled, as if amused, and stuck out a hand.

Niall and Harry both stared, eyes wide and not daring to move. The man eventually put his hand down with a soft chuckle, and said, "Maxwell Caheir. And my partner, Alec."

"Uh, Harry and Niall," Harry managed to get out.

"Good to meet you," Maxwell said with a small smile. "What are two little Subs doing out here alone with their Doms?"

"Nothing," Niall huffed, crossing his arms. "What makes you think we even have Doms?"

Alec let out a sharp bark of laughter, making both Subs jump, which made Maxwell grin as well.

The gray eyed man extended his hand and brushed Niall's neck, where two clear hickeys were. "This pretty much explains you're claimed."

Niall huffed. "Yeah? And what about my friend? He doesn't have any marks, now does he, oh-so-smart mister Dom?"

"Niall!" Harry said with a frown. "Shut up."

"No one this cute would be unmated," Alec said, speaking for the first time.

"Well, thanks," Niall said, grabbing Harry's hand and beginning to drag him away. "Bye!" When they were a fair distance away, the blond boy shook his head and muttered, "Creeps."

Harry glanced over his shoulder thoughtfully. "Ni, shouldn't we go back?"

"Honestly, Curly, where's your bravery?" Niall said, rolling his eyes.

"'m just trying to be good," Harry mumbled, lowering his eyes sadly.

Niall sighed and said, "It's sometimes good to be bad, Harry." He patted Harry on the shoulder and said, "It relieves stress, you know? It's stressful abiding to rules all the time and I just wanted to make you feel better. But if you really don't like this, then we can go back."

Harry nibbled at his lip anxiously. Then he said, "No, it's okay. Let's keep going. Maybe it'll be fun."

Niall grinned and clapped Harry on the back. "That's the spirit," he laughed. "C'mon, the faster we get there, the more time we'll have."

"Where are we even going? The ocean'll be dangerous," Harry said hesitantly.

Niall paused in his excited skipping and then said, "We can go to the outdoor pool. It's big and it's closed so no one will see or join us. See? We're here already!"

"Niall!" Harry exclaimed when Niall began stripping down, letting his clothes drop to the ground. "You can't just go naked!"

Niall gave him a look and said, "We don't have any swim trunks. C'mon, Curly, please? This will be fun!" He gave Harry a pleading look.

"And if we get caught?" Harry huffed.

"Then we run." And with that, Niall jumped into the pool with a whoop.

"Niall!" Harry spluttered, scandalized. Then, giving up, he stripped down as well and dove into the pool.

He broke the surface with a light gasp. The water felt amazingly cool on his hot and sweaty skin. He treaded the water and turned around to see Niall grinning at him.

"See? Told you it'd be good."

Harry just stuck his tongue out at him and gave Niall a splash.

"Oh, no you didn't," Niall gasped. "C'mere, Curly! I'll show you what water splashing is!"

Harry laughed as he and Niall splashed water at each other.

However, their fun only lasted for a short time.

"HEY!"

Niall and Harry stopped to look up at the two guards that were shouting at them.

"Get out of the pool, little punks! The pool's closed!"

Harry was about to get out so they could obey what the two guards were saying, but Niall clearly had different plans.

"What makes you think we should listen to you?"

Harry groaned silently in his head and turned to the indignantly bristling boy beside him. "Ni, come on. I don't want to get into trouble, let's just go."

"No," Niall growled. "They don't get to boss us around just because they're both Doms!"

The two guards were quite angry now – actually, angry was an understatement.

They were furious.

"Fucking get out, little rascals!" one of them growled. "Or else I'll notify the resort, and they'll call your Doms to put you in place."

"We don't need any 'putting in place'," Niall bratted.

"Well, well, well. What's going on here?"

The two Subs and two Doms stopped, slightly puzzled.

One of the guards pulled out a flashlight and turned it on, calling, "Who is that?"

Harry watched as two broad-shouldered forms stepped out from the shadows. He immediately recognized them from the way they were dressed and their hair.

Maxwell and Alec.

"Who the hell are those creeps," Niall mumbled quietly so that only Harry heard.

Harry held back a snicker and instead poked Niall. "Let's get out of this," he whispered.

The two boys began to slowly inch towards the edge of the pool, choosing to abandon their clothes as it was in front of the guards and heading towards them was probably not the best decision.

Harry managed to climb out and began to help Niall up, until Maxwell barked, "FREEZE!"

Harry and Niall froze immediately, their Submissive instincts jumping in at Maxwell's dominant tone.

Alec reached and grabbed them down the scruff of their necks, which made the two Subs yelp indignantly.

"For heaven's sake," Alec was muttering as he wrapped Niall in a big fluffy towel first, and then Harry.

"Don't touch me," Niall growled in a bratty tone.

However, he shrank back when Alec bent down, narrowed his eyes, and uttered softly, "Little one, I think it's best for you to hush. Be silent."

Niall let out a small indignant growl but remained quiet.

Harry let Alec rub the towel on his body and hair, after seeing what had happened with Niall. "You're going to catch a cold," the Dom was muttering, trying to warm the shivering Subs up.

Harry tried to listen to what Maxwell was saying to the two guards. "Let us handle these two."

"You're their Doms?"

"You could say that."

One of the guards opened his mouth to argue, but the other just sighed and said, "Whatever, man. Just leave them."

The two guards left, leaving the two Doms and Subs alone.

"What the hell do you want from us?" Niall spat the moment the guards left. "You creeps!"

Harry saw something flicker in Maxwell's eyes and the Dom coolly said, "Don't call us creeps. We're quite the opposite, actually."

Niall just huffed and rolled his eyes, but didn't reply.

"We should get going now," Harry commented, trying to send a message to the two Doms who were still hovering over them.

He turned to fetch their clothes, and stopped when he realized they were gone. "Uh, where are our clothes?"

The two Doms blinked in surprise as well when they saw the missing clothes.

"You took them?" Niall glared.

"No!" Alec growled. "We did not. They were still there when the guards left!"

There was a silence when suddenly Alec's eyes widened and he turned to Maxwell. "Max, do you think it's—"

"Alec. I think it's time for us to go," Maxwell cut him off.

"What," Niall said defensively. "What're you hiding from us?"

"Nothing," Maxwell said curtly. "Get to your room safely. If you don't, we'll find out."

The two Doms walked away quickly, and seemed to melt into the shadows.

They were gone.

"What the fuck," Niall muttered.

"I don't even know," Harry sighed. "Let's just get home."

The two Subs headed to their resort, not noticing the shadow following them silently.

* * *

"Where the fuck were you two?" Liam's voice boomed in the whole room the moment they stepped inside.

Niall and Harry froze.

Harry wrapped the towel tighter, gulping.

"It's fucking 2 AM," Liam uttered in a low tone, eyes flashing. When he wasn't dignified with a response, he growled, "If I don't get a response soon, I'm going to just get the belt out."

"No!"

"Liam—"

"You see, it's hard to explain—"

"It's not that big of a deal—"

"We were just outside!" Harry finally exclaimed.

"OUTSIDE?" Zayn boomed, fuming.

The two Subs froze. "Yes sir," Niall said timidly.

The looks on the Doms' faces were angry, incredulous, and, well, furious.

"Are you going to punish us?" Harry said in a small voice, nibbling at his lip anxiously.

He didn't want to be punished. He knew they weren't going to be punished lightly for this. Sneaking out was a serious crime let alone at night, especially since it was dangerous.

Zayn just shook his head angrily and said, "Li, you can deal with this. I'm too angry." Grabbing his pack of cigarettes, he headed out to the balcony muttering to himself.

Which of course made Niall and Harry feel even worse about themselves.

"Louis?" Liam turned to the brunette Dom and raised an eyebrow questioningly.

Louis just stared at Harry for a few seconds before he shook his head and stammered, "I … I … you can do it." He stumbled away into his room.

Harry felt tears prickling in his eyes. Did he really disappoint Louis that much? He heard Liam heave a huge sigh.

"Do you both understand how dangerous what you did was?"

"Yes, sir," Niall whispered, Harry echoing him.

"Why'd you two even go out?" Liam muttered, running a hand through his hair, looking quite thoroughly frustrated.

"We just thought it'd be fun, Li," Niall whined.

Liam gave him a sharp look. "It was a rhetorical question, Niall James Horan. Hush."

Niall dropped his head, and Harry swallowed at the tension. He was unable to hide his disappointment at Louis running away yet again from his Dom duties, though he figured it was because Louis was truly a Sub at heart. He wondered when Louis was going to tell him the truth. What if he never told him?

Getting angry at the thought, Harry spat at Liam, "You can't just punish us for this! You or Zayn or Louis can go out whenever you want, but we can't because it's 'dangerous'? Well, fuck you, Liam!"

Niall gasped, eyes wide. "Harry, shut up!" he exclaimed. "You're going to make it worse—"

"That's enough, Niall," Liam said coolly. "You can go sit over there." He pointed at the armchair next to the fireplace. "And you, Mister Styles, you can get over my lap, pronto."

"What makes you think I'll listen?" Harry glowered at the Dom, who crossed his arms and glared back.

"You already have ten with the belt coming for your bum. You don't want to add any more."

"Harry, please listen to him," Niall whimpered. "You're just going to make it worse."

"Niall, that's enough," Liam reprimanded. "You know better than to interfere."

"Sorry," Niall whispered.

Liam ignored the apology, and instead glowered at Harry.

"Fuck you!" Harry repeated.

Something changed in Liam's eyes, and sure enough, when he spoke, he was speaking in a tone laced with all of his dominance in it.

"Get down on your knees, _now_."

Unable to withstand Liam's Dom voice, Harry whimpered and dropped immediately, trembling. The Dom pushed a hand into his curls and yanked.

Harry let out a high pitched whine at the roughness.

"Not so brave and witty now, hmm?"

Harry quivered but his voice wouldn't come out.

"Hmph." Liam sat down on an armless chair that Harry hadn't even noticed, and pointed to his lap wordlessly.

Harry immediately got over, finally realizing how bad this situation was. One, he had sneaked out with Niall at night, not only putting himself in danger, but Niall as well. Though it was not his idea, he could have very well stopped it from happening. Two, he swore more than once at Liam. Three, he was disrespectful.

He was screwed.


	16. Chapter 16

**WARNINGS FOR THE CHAPTER: Spanking (hand and mentions of the strap), mentions of collaring, leashing (both public and private). There may be triggers.**

* * *

Liam was unsure of what was going on, if he was being honest. Although the two Submissives often got into trouble and mischief together, they didn't do stuff this dangerous before.

Liam knew that people would say he was overreacting, but he was just protective and cared deeply for their safety, especially after what had happened to Niall in his past.

He growled, cursing Niall's family for what they had done to the blond boy. Unfortunately, he hadn't realized that a certain bare-bottomed curly haired lad was still over his lap and trembling as he waited for his punishment. That growl certainly hadn't helped the now truant boy calm down either.

Liam quickly ran a hair through Harry's thick curls. The boy was especially distraught, which was odd because Harry never got this anxious even during punishments. He decided to just stroke Harry's hair and let him calm a little before starting his punishment. Besides, this would give him time to think about more than matter – one very important matter being Louis not handling his proper Dom duties.

To be honest, Liam was disappointed in Louis, and he was positive Harry was as well. Perhaps that's what had gotten the poor boy so distressed. Liam had given Louis a chance to escape from his horrifying past and become a Dom, even illegally changing the other boy's files and getting rid of his Submissive files.

Personally, he thought Louis should just tell Harry about what had happened. Liam was positive that Harry would find out sooner or later. Revealing secrets would help them get closer anyway; he didn't see why the two boys hid so many things from each other.

Perhaps it was because Louis was a Sub at heart. Of course, the feathery-haired boy did have dominance in his blood as well. When people took the test to see whether they were Dominant or Submissive, they usually got a percentage for both. Then they'd talk to a personal doctor or even a therapist at times, and they'd help choose the role of Dom or Sub. Odd, yes, but it worked.

Liam still remembered Louis' percentage clearly. 45% Submissive, 55% Dominant.

It had surprised Liam a bit when the boy chose to be Submissive. Liam figured it was because the boy was scared of all the responsibilities that came with being a Dom. Not that the Submissive didn't have any hard roles either, but still.

Louis had always had a habit of avoiding hard obstacles that faced him during his life. Liam sighed, feeling a headache coming on from all this thinking. He just wished Louis had had a proper Dom, or had just been at least 80% Dominant. That would have made things so much easier.

He himself had gotten the result 12% Submissive and 88% Dominant, so it had been an easy choice for him; Zayn as well, with a result of 37% Submissive and 63% Dominant.

"Liam?"

"Hmm?" Liam looked down at the pouting boy.

"Are you just gonna keep me half naked over your lap for the rest of our lives?"

"Sorry, Curls, I got a bit lost in my own thoughts. But since you seem so eager to start, we'll begin now."

Harry groaned, making Liam chuckle.

"Thanks for reminding me, Harry."

"No fucking problem," Harry grumbled sassily, glowering at the floor.

Liam smirked. So, the younger lad was picking up on Louis' sassiness. "Careful, Haz," he said, landing a sharp smack that made the boy gasp. "Your potty mouth was also one of the things that landed you in trouble, so it's not that smart to swear now either, is it?"

"Not Haz."

"Pardon?" Liam blinked, puzzled with what the boy was trying to tell him.

"Only Louis calls me Haz," Harry whimpers.

Oh.

Liam hastily corrected his mistake. "Sorry, Curls. I didn't realize."

"S'okay," Harry mumbled.

Liam rubbed the boy's curls thoughtfully. It seemed the boy was more distraught than he had assumed he was. "How many do you think you deserve? Choose a number wisely, Harold. Be honest and also keep in mind that you have 12 coming with the belt after my hand."

Of course, he wasn't planning on telling the boy, but he intended to go with the number the Sub chose, unless the Sub was fully taking advantage of this, of course. He didn't want to overwhelm him so much that the boy used his safeword. Liam knew Harry's limits. He would push the younger boy right to the end of it, but not go over it.

"I … twenty?"

Liam heard the tentativeness in the younger boy's voice and felt his body stiffen and tremble apprehensively. Liam pretended to think, smoothing a hand over Harry's bum just to show even more who was in charge at the moment.

"I think that's a good number," Liam finally said, "20 with my hand, 12 with the belt – 10 because you already had that coming and the other two for swearing at me and being disrespectful. Any objections?"

"No sir," Harry whispered.

Liam said no more and let his hand fall down from the height of his shoulder, which made the younger boy cry out and jerk. Liam pulled Harry closer and made sure he was stable before landing the second smack.

They managed to get to the tenth spank without much fuss, but by eleven, Harry's bum was quite rosy and it was surely stinging by now. So when the twelfth spank fell just as hard as the others, the younger boy jerked and shrieked, "NO MORE! STOP IT!"

Liam stopped. Harry went limp, whimpering and weeping. Niall seemed to hold in a breath as well. Liam knew the boy was in pain and to be honest, he didn't want to add anymore spanks. He knew he had a hard hand and good strength – just the right criteria to make a naughty boy fully truant.

However, Harry's wails had been disrespectful. One didn't just tell a Dom to 'stop it'. Still, considering that the poor curly haired lad was especially distraught today, Liam decided to let it go once. Any other day, he would have added an extra two spanks but Liam saw no need to do so.

So he just rubbed the younger boy's curls and said quietly, "Colour?"

"G-Green," Harry whimpered.

"Are you sure, Curls?"

"Y-yeah," Harry said softly. "'m okay, Li-Li."

"Alright, little boy," Liam said quietly.

"N-N-Not a little boy," Harry said through his tears.

"Yes, you are," Liam said firmly, letting stern authority flood into his voice. "You're my little boy, Zayn's little boy, and Louis' little boy."

The boy mumbled something that Liam couldn't catch. "Harold," he admonished. "Speak clearly."

"Louis doesn't love me," Harry repeated in a small voice, pitifully.

Liam grimaced. "And why do you think that?"

"'cause he didn't want to punish me," Harry sniffled. "He doesn't care about me."

Ah. Harry's little voice was coming out. It seemed the Sub was dropping into a little headspace, which wasn't surprising at all considering how stressed he had been lately.

Liam knew he had to make a quick decision. Silently, he just landed the last eight smacks firmly, making Harry sob heart-wrenchingly.

"N-No more," the boy sobbed. "P-Please no more. 'm sorry, L-Leeyum. No more, please!"

"Shhh," Liam hushed. "You're okay. No more, Curls. We're done."

"I-I don't want the belt, Li," Harry sobbed. "Please. Ni-Ni and I will never get into t-trouble again, just d-don't—" He broke off into even harsher sobs.

Liam sat the boy up, letting his bottom drop in between his thighs too make sure his red, sore bottom wouldn't brush against anything. Liam tugged the rest of the boy's pants down and cradled him, pressing little kisses in his hair and on his forehead.

"Harold," Liam said in a firm voice. "Contrary to your beliefs, Louis loves you very much."

"T-Then how come—" Harry looked up with tearful eyes, green eyes glistening.

"He just needs more experience," Liam sighed. "Harold, there's so much more than what you just see."

Liam thought he saw something flash in the Sub's eyes, but he brushed it off. Liam sighed when he realized that he still had to mete out a strapping and spank Niall as well, and he really didn't want to. He hated punishing his boys.

His eyes landed on Niall's collar placed above the fireplace that he and Zayn had presented to him when they were first matched, and he got an idea.

"Harold," Liam said thoughtfully.

The boy looked up, still sniffling apprehensively for what was to come.

"How do you feel about exchanging your belting for another punishment?" Liam said with a sly smirk.

Harry gulped at the look on the Dom's face. He knew from what Liam told him he wouldn't exactly enjoy it.

But it was probably better than the belt, right?

Harry looked up at Liam and said, "Yeah. I'll go with the other punishment, not the belting."

Liam smirked. "Alright, Hazza boy. I want you to be a good boy and switch with Niall, yeah? Go on, sit."

Harry made a face at the prospect of sitting, but Niall just offered, "At least the chair's comfy?" before he headed to Liam. Harry winced as he sat down, not only because of the texture against his sore backside but also because Liam landed the first smack.

Harry grimaced as he watched Liam pepper Niall's bum with harsh spanks, making the boy wail. He saw Zayn still outside in the balcony, puffing out smoke as he stared at someplace Harry couldn't see.

Harry flinched when he heard Niall begin to sob. He stood up abruptly, giving Liam a pleading look. Something in his eyes must have been different, for Liam narrowed his eyes, eyed him for a few seconds, then gave a nod. Giving the Dom a grateful look, Harry stepped outside.

He hated leaving Niall alone, but he just couldn't deal with his friend's heartbreaking cries. He knew he was being selfish, but well. People were selfish.

"Got what you deserved?"

Harry stared at Zayn uncertainly. The Dom was still angry, that was for sure, though albeit a bit less than before. At least he didn't look like he wanted to murder someone. Now, however, he was looking a bit … sad.

"I, uh, yeah," Harry stammered. "Liam has a hard hand," he added shamefully.

"Mm. I reckon he does." Zayn turned back around and took another puff of his cigarette.

"Doesn't smoking hurt you?"

"Not as much as it would hurt me if you or Niall got hurt because you were being stupid, reckless, and disobedient."

Harry grimaced. So that's what the usually stoic Dom was upset about. "Sorry," Harry whispered, not sure of what to say.

"Please just be careful," Zayn said, his eyes sad as ever. "I wouldn't be able to live if you or my little Ni got hurt."

Harry swallowed. "Sorry," he said again.

Zayn just gave him a nod and looked back to the distance again. "You know, there's a reason why we're so protective of Niall. He's had a horrible past, much worse than you could ever imagine."

Harry decided not to push it. Zayn seemed to be lost in his thoughts when the balcony door was flung open and a sniffling Niall flung himself at the older boy. Harry barely managed to leap out of the way, but Zayn seemed to be used to this. He hugged the boy tightly, and when they seemed to be finished their emotional little greeting, Zayn's eyes flared and he curled his fingers in Niall's soft hair and yanked – not hard, but not exactly softly either.

The blond boy whined as Zayn pulled him close and glowered down at him. "Never, ever go outside at night without us again," the Dom uttered softly, voice rumbling.

Niall lowered his eyes submissively, as did Harry.

"Zayn, bring them inside," Liam called.

Zayn grabbed the scruff of their necks and dragged them inside. "Kneel," the Dom ordered.

The two Subs dropped to their knees immediately. Liam ran his fingers through Harry's hair thoughtfully before tugging, making the curly-haired lad whine.

"You have both chosen something other than a session with the strap," Liam murmured, voice rumbling just like Zayn's voice had. "Punishment isn't something you're supposed to be enjoying."

"Yes, sir," both Subs chorused, sharing a nervous look.

Liam always had the most creative punishments, and they all knew that.

"So, this is what you are receiving instead." Liam pulled out two leashes and collars.

Harry and Niall's eyes both widened. Harry wanted to complain and argue, but he figured this was way better than the belt.

"From tomorrow morning until we believe we can trust you again, you two will be on these leashes, whether it be public or not. Today, however, I will allow you two to go outside together and have some fun." Then Liam narrowed his eyes and rumbled, "However, if you put yourselves into danger again, I will not hesitate to spank you again and then put you on the leash. Understand?"

"Yes sir."

Liam gave the leashes and collar to Zayn and ran his hand through Niall's dyed hair, murmuring, "Colour?"

"G-Green, sir," Niall mumbled.

Soon, both boys had the collar around their necks. Thankfully, the leash was still in Zayn's hand, to be fastened tomorrow.

"Can we go out for ice cream?" Niall asked the moment they were done.

Liam and Zayn both laughed. "Please be careful, Ni," they said, kissing their Sub.

Harry turned away, swallowing against the lump in his throat, wishing for the hundredth time he could have that.

"Done the spanking?"

Liam sighed and looked up. "Yeah."

"You were getting too close to _my_ boy," Louis said in a suggestive tone layered with slight tension.

Liam couldn't help but give him an incredulous look. "Lou, I was punishing him! What else could I have done, just leave him there like you always do?"

The other boy flinched, hurt flashing in his eyes, and Liam grimaced. He ran a hand through his hair, saying, "I'm sorry, Lou. I didn't mean that."

"I try, you know," Louis said quietly, not meeting Liam's eyes. "I try but nothing ever turns out right." The boy turned to look out the window with a sigh.

"Louis. Look at me."

Louis turned around reluctantly.

Liam stared straight into those pleading blue eyes as he said, "Lou, you didn't punish Harry because you were scared, weren't you?"

Louis gulped and gave a soft, hesitant nod.

Liam just sighed. The two boys remained in silence for a moment before Liam spoke. "You know we can't keep giving you chances."

"I know, Li, and I'm sorry, but—"

Liam ignored Louis and continued on. "Lou, if this continues, then I'll have no choice but to remove Harry from under your authority."

Louis' eyes flashed and he growled, "You can't take away _my_ boy."

"I very well can if you're not taking good care of him," Liam countered, glowering back. "And if that happens, Curls won't be your boy anymore."

Louis growled, shoving past Liam and heading into his room.

Liam sighed, running his fingers through his hair again. Louis was protective of Harry and cared for him, that was for sure.

Now he just had to learn how to harness that to become strong.


	17. Chapter 17

**WARNINGS FOR THE CHAPTER: Collaring and leashing (as punishment), snogging, and mention of masturbation at the end. Also, there's sexy time, AKA smut ;) Smut will contain: a vibrating butt plug, spanking, a cock ring, orgasm denial/control, rimming, blowjobs, handjobs, fingering, riding, and butt plugs. Phew! :p**

 **Special thanks goes to Ruthabellaaa for helping me get through this chapter! :)**

* * *

"I'll have a mint chocolate ice cream on a cone, please," Harry said with a smile.

"Same," Niall added.

They paid and received their ice cream before deciding to sit on a bench. Harry grimaced when he sat down on the wooden bench. "Ow," he complained.

"Li-Li has a hard hand," Niall groaned.

Harry quickly licked his ice cream, seeing it already beginning to melt. The two sat in silence for a bit, watching as two toddlers squealed and played tag with each other.

"I wish I could be that relaxed," Niall suddenly said, out of the blue.

Harry frowned. "What do you mean?" he asked, confused.

Niall paused, fiddling with the napkin wrapped around his ice cream. He quickly finished his cone before murmuring, "Curls, I … I want to tell you about my past."

Harry stared. "Uh," he managed intelligently.

Niall gave a small smile. "I know, it's random," he said. "But I just think that if I talk about it, it'll be better."

"Whatever you feel comfortable with, Ni," was all Harry said.

Niall hesitated before saying, "When I was five years old—"

"Well, well, well."

Both Subs stopped and looked back. Harry scowled. "What do you bastards want?" he growled, feeling particularly annoyed for the two men to interrupt such a serious conversation.

"Little blondie's finally ready to start the little story, hmm?" Maxwell commented with his signature smirk.

Harry was tempted to slap it off of his smug face but decided not to cause too much of a commotion.

"Go the fuck away," Niall snapped, eyes flashing fire.

Alec just laughed and ruffled Niall's hair, saying, "Oh, you're a cute one."

Harry huffed and stood up. "C'mon, Niall, let's just go back to the room."

"But you'll be leashed and you won't be able to move freely the moment you return," Maxwell commented, crossing his arms.

"Such a pity."

Harry opened his mouth to think of a retort when he suddenly realized … "How the hell do you know about that?" he demanded, scowling. "Creeps," he muttered. "Be thankful Niall and I haven't called the cops on you."

"Yet," Niall added helpfully.

"We have our ways of finding out information," was all Maxwell said coolly, narrowing his eyes.

"We are, after all, far from normal," Alec commented.

"What—" Harry shared a confused look with Niall.

"Alec!" Maxwell snapped. "That's enough. We need to get going. Stay out of trouble."

Then they both turned and disappeared, Maxwell still glowering at his brother.

Niall and Harry stared for a few moments.

"Who the hell are those guys?" Niall finally said.

Both Subs quickly returned to their hotel room, feeling slightly uncomfortable from their encounter with the two men.

"Look who's back!" Zayn said, holding up two leashes. "Ready to start?"

"We don't really have a choice, do we?" Harry sassed.

"Watch that pretty mouth of yours, Haz," Louis commented. "Or else I just might gag it."

Harry stared. Well. That was new.

Louis had never commented on punishing him that way. It was always the same routine for punishments – spanking, Louis running away, leaving Harry alone and feeling worse than ever.

 _Maybe that would change_ , Harry thought hopefully.

Then he shook the thought away. There was no way Louis would willingly go out of his way to do so much for him. Or would he?

Harry was jolted out of his thoughts when Zayn clipped the leash on his collar, making him scowl and glare at the leash that was then handed to Louis.

"Oh, c'mon!" Niall was complaining. "It's not like we can do anything stupid right now or anything!"

He was met with unimpressed looks from both Liam and Zayn. Liam landed a firm smack on Niall's already sore, red bum, making the blond Sub shriek.

"OWW! LEEYUM!" he exclaimed, jumping and rubbing his bum.

"Behave, and you won't get any more," the Dom told him sternly.

Niall pouted but didn't say anything else. Harry decided to cheer his friend up a bit and commented, "We're going to be so bored, though! Louis' just gonna be on his phone or talking with Zayn, and Liam, you'll be working in the gym if we're trapped inside."

"You'll find a way to entertain yourself."

"Oh, c'mon," Harry couldn't help but complain. "We don't have to be leashed when we're not outside! Please?"

"You can just keep an eye on us when we're inside," Niall added helpfully, giving puppy eyes to his Doms.

The three Doms exchanged a look. "We're gonna be sooooo bored!" Harry complained.

"Then we'll just go outside," Zayn said simply, standing up.

Niall and Harry both stared at him. "Uh, what?" they said incredulously. "We're not going out like this!" Niall gestured to his collar and leash.

"You can't stay inside for the whole duration of the vacation, Ni," Liam pointed out gently. "You've got to get outside somehow. Remember, you can always safeword if you really feel uncomfortable. That goes for you too, Curls."

Harry nodded with a sigh. He hated this punishment; it almost made him want the belting so he could just be over with it. But he knew that this was much less painful than a strapping. He would have probably regretted choosing the belt over the leash anyway.

Harry sighed, deeming it not worthy enough to argue over whether they should go outside or not.

"We can take a nice walk outside; the weather's beautiful," Louis commented, pressing a kiss to Harry's hair affectionately. Harry couldn't help but purr, feeling happy that Louis seemed to be feeling particularly loving with him today.

But then he turned around and saw Niall making out belligerently with his Doms and his mood got put down. He frowned, silently wishing he could be snogging like that with Louis.

 _One day_ , he promised himself.

He heard Louis clear his throat meaningfully, interrupting the intimate kiss that had been happening between the three men. They all seemed a bit grumpy at being interrupted but reluctantly ended the kiss after seeing Harry's wishful look, understanding passing through all of them.

"We're all ready?" Zayn checked one last time.

Harry bit his lip, feeling awkward when they stepped outside and he was leashed, as if he were a dog. He deserved it, he knew, but he hated every single moment of this! He avoided other people's curious looks. They'd figure it out sooner or later anyway.

"Colour?" Louis asked him, looking very serious.

"Green," Harry answered, though he wasn't really enjoying all this. Then he shivered. If he wasn't enjoying this, then he couldn't imagine how Niall must be feeling, considering the other Sub absolutely hated going out in public embarrassed.

The blonde Sub replied, "Green," when Zayn asked him his colour, but Harry could tell Niall was feeling a bit pressured.

"You're both being very good boys," Louis said with a smile.

Harry felt his heart warm and spine tingle at his Dom's praise. He relaxed a bit, realizing how tensed he was. The leashed Subs got less looks then they expected they would receive. Not that they were complaining, of course. After all, if they were back home in their neighbourhood, the paparazzi would have never left them alone, questioning their every move.

"Li-Li, I'm thirstyyyy," Niall whined.

Harry watched as the Dom raised an eyebrow and answered, "Are you sure you're not trying to get out of walking in public while on the leash?"

Niall pouted. "No, I'm not!" he said indignantly, bristling. "I'm actually very thirsty. Although another kiss might make up for it instead of water," he added, licking his lips tauntingly.

Harry watched, half amused and half disgusted, as Liam and Zayn both promptly attacked their Sub's lips. Harry turned to Louis and joked, "We should do that just to fit in."

He was _not_ expecting Louis to stare at him with an unreadable look in his eyes. The Dom's blue eyes flickered down to Harry's lips and the Dom shifted, as if he were actually going to kiss Harry on the lips.

Harry's mouth went dry. He nearly tried to lean in to kiss his Dom before Louis could make the move instead, but something stopped him. Instead of doing what his mind was urging him to, he turned around and said, "Let's go look at the view! Please, Lou?"

He skipped off, dragging Louis along as the Dom was holding his leash in his hand, still looking dazed. "Look how pretty it is," Harry said in awe.

The sun was setting, streaking the sky with a pinkish-orange colour. It looked as if someone had spilled paint on the sky.

"Oooooh, look, Zaynie! It's so pretty! Can we take a picture?"

"Sure, babe," the dark-haired Dom answered with a smile, eyes shining. He wound Niall's leash tighter into his hand, pulling the blond Sub close before leaning in for another sweet kiss. Then he called, "Liam! C'mere, Ni wants to take a picture!"

Liam handed Harry his phone, saying, "Be a good lad and take a nice shot of us."

Harry snapped a few photos before passing the phone back to Liam. He hesitated, glancing at his own Dom before saying shyly, "Can we take a picture too?"

Louis blinked, seeming to be surprised, but nodded. A smile slowly crept onto his lips and he passed Liam his phone before he and Harry went to stand where the trio had been standing before. Harry grinned brightly, dimpling, as Louis wrapped an arm around his shoulder. Liam snapped a few pictures and said, "Those are right beauties. Seems like taking a walk wasn't such a bad idea, hm, Ni, Curls?"

"It was okay," Niall sniffed, as if he weren't having fun.

The others laughed.

They began to head back to their room, none of them noticing the man that was silently hidden in the shadows, watching their every move intently.

* * *

"Hey! Harry! Curly, wake up!"

Harry blearily opened his eyes, yawning. He squinted his eyes, trying to make out the time. It was 7 o'clock in the evening, it seemed. He remembered having dinner at another fancy restaurant.

He and Niall had tried their best to convince the Doms that they didn't need the leash in the restaurant, but unfortunately, they had lost the argument and ended up going collared and leashed anyway.

"Niall, why'd you wake me up?" Harry groaned, flopping back down tiredly.

This whole vacation thing was fun, but extremely exhausting.

Harry opened his eyes even more before he spluttered, "What — why are you naked?!"

Niall pouted. "I need your help."

"I swear to god, if we're gonna get into trouble again because of this—"

"No, you won't!" Niall said, blushing with an unreadable expression on his face. "I, uh, it's … Liam and Zayn know."

"Oh god," Harry groaned; he had a fair idea of what this was judging by Niall's bashful expression. "Spit it out."

"Watch me and Liam and Zayn have sex," Niall blurted out, and then flushed. "Um, please?" He let out a moan, legs wobbling and almost falling on Harry.

Harry scrambled back, jaw dropping. "Niall, what the fuck?"

Niall bit his lip, eyes glossing over. "I-I … Harry, just fucking do watch us!" he pleaded. "They're just going to — ah, ungh — turn the v-vibrations on m-more."

Harry spluttered, feeling his own face burn even more. "I, um, okay," he mumbled after a bit of hesitance. "Be thankful I said yes," he muttered to himself as he climbed out of bed, trying to fix his hair and clothes.

"Forget that, just hurry up!" Niall huffed, then moaned again and went even redder. "S-sorry," he said sheepishly.

"Whatever," Harry said, waving it off. "Where's Louis?"

"G-Getting groceries," Niall answered shakily. "But he won't mind. You're only gonna watch, n-not join us. Unless you want to join." He wiggled his eyebrows, trying to look cheeky.

Harry blushed. "Um, Ni, I dunno if Louis would like it if I—"

"He knows about it," Niall answered, cutting Harry off.

Well, that left him with no choice. Harry followed Niall to the bedroom and almost choked when he saw Zayn and Liam completely naked. And by completely, he meant as in _they-didn't-even-have-socks-on_ naked.

Both Doms were very fit, muscles flexing with each move they made. They were sitting on the bed, waiting for Niall. Zayn was holding a remote with a devilish grin.

"Turn the vibration off, you fucking arse!" Niall gasped, slapping Zayn half-heartedly.

"Mmm, blondie's getting angry," Liam purred. "C'mere, don't be rude to your Doms." He pulled Niall over his lap and gave him a spank right over the vibrating butt plug over his entrance, making the blond gasp. "Show Curly how much of a good boy you can be," the Dom growled lustfully.

Harry sat down, trying to relax. It wasn't the first time this had happened — after all, they lived together. He'd had his suspicions when Niall had been naked, but still. It still caught him by surprise at times.

Harry watched as Liam pressed on the vibrating toy inside Niall, making the blond moan loudly. "Ungh! L-Leeyummmm!" he whined.

"Mmmm." Liam stroked Niall's bum before whispering, "Up, Ni-Ni."

The blond sub, shivering, shakily stood up, cock harder than before now. Harry flushed when he saw a cock ring around the other Sub's cock, preventing him from coming. "What shall we do today?" Zayn hummed, running a hand down the blond Sub's spine.

"We haven't had an inspection in a while," Liam mused in a thoughtful tone. "We both know how much our little Ni-Ni likes inspections."

"Mm. But does he deserve it?" Zayn pondered with a sly look at Liam that made even Harry shiver. "Has Ni-Ni been a good boy?"

"I'm g-good," Niall whimpered, letting out little moans.

Zayn hadn't bothered to turn the vibrations off. In fact, Harry swore he saw the Dom cunningly crank up the vibrations a tad bit more.

"If you say so," Liam said, exchanging a grin with Niall. "Well, then, bend over, Niall. Show us that pretty bum of yours."

Harry watched, his face still warm, as Niall bent over, exposing himself to his Doms.

"Let's take out this little toy now, shall we?" With those words, Liam began to slowly and teasingly edge the still-vibrating toy out of the Sub's clenching hole. He fucked it in and out for a bit, making the Sub almost lose his balance and fall from the overwhelming pleasure, before he pulled it out quickly and completely and setting it on the bed.

Niall whined at the empty feeling.

Zayn pushed a finger past Niall's lips, ordering, "Suck." The blond Sub began to do so, sucking as if it were his Dom's cock and not his finger.

The dark-haired Dominant pulled his finger away, Niall pulling off with a pop. Then he traced his now wet finger around Niall's twitching hole, making the boy whimper and whine for more desperately.

Harry bit his lip as Zayn pushed a finger in, past Niall's rim, making the Sub moan and push back, begging for more. Zayn just smacked Niall's bum firmly, saying, "Don't be greedy," before he continued in his fingering.

"C-Can't help it," Niall moaned, eyes fluttering shut from pleasure.

"You're giving Harry quite the show, aren't you?" Liam teased, pressing a kiss to the blond's lips. Niall didn't reply, too focused on Zayn's fingers inside of him, moving, stretching him out.

"Look, he's all ready for us now," Zayn said, pulling out his fingers and making Niall gasp.

Liam smirked at Niall's fluttering hole and commented, "Hmm … I dunno, Zee. Can't really see that little beauty between his cheeks that much, now can I? What should I do?"

"Spread, Ni." Zayn growled, eyes filled with lust.

The Sub obeyed immediately, eagerly, spreading his cheeks and fully exposing himself. "Ah, there's that little gem," Liam murmured, making Niall blush — even Harry felt his face heat up at those words. "Now I have a good view of _everything._ This beautiful body that _I_ own," Liam growled possessively.

"Yours," Niall agreed, eyes fluttering in pleasure again.

"Ours," Zayn murmured. He grasped Niall's cock and said, "This is also ours, isn't it, Niall?"

"Y-Yes, Sir," Niall breathed. "All yours."

Harry almost whined for Niall when Zayn spread Niall's cheeks, replacing the Sub's hands with his own, and let his tongue flicker around his hole.

 _Holy fuck._

This was new. Harry had never seen nor experienced rimming, so this was quite the " _you-learn-something-new-everyday_ " kind of lesson for him.

He swallowed when he imagined him in Niall's position, with Louis spreading his cheeks and licking ever so hotly around his hole, dipping his tongue in every crease before landing small kisses everywhere around his body. Him sucking Louis off, pleasuring his Dom as Louis moaned and tugged his hair; him riding Louis; Louis fucking him dominantly from behind, growling and nibbling at the skin on his neck.

Harry shifted hotly, and looked down, horrified, to see that he had gotten himself hard from his thoughts. Mortified and not wanting to give the trio the wrong impression that he had gotten hard from watching them, he just discretely placed his hands in his lap nearly his crotch and tried to cover up.

Swallowing and trying to brush off all thoughts, he just watched the trio once more, though they were most definitely not helping his hard-on go down.

"I want you to ride me," Liam growled, squirting lube over his cock generously and inserting two fingers inside Niall to stretch him out once more, making the sub groan and wobble again.

Niall sank down ever so slowly on the Dom's cock, biting his lip and eyes still glazed over with pleasure. He began to slide up and down slowly, eyes filled with lust and hunger, but was soon bouncing up and down in Liam's lap.

The sounds they were making were so obscene that Harry wondered how they weren't getting complaints from the neighbours.

It was not long before Liam groaned, eyes fluttering with pleasure, pulling Niall's hips close as he kissed Niall's neck as he came hard inside him, murmuring, "Such a good boy. My good boy."

"P-Please … I need to c-come," Niall moaned, whimpering.

Harry was convinced that if it weren't for the cock ring, Niall would've come at least three times by now. He grimaced, wondering how that would feel. Would it hurt, or feel good?

"I'll make you feel good, baby," Zayn murmured, kissing Niall from his neck down to his belly button, and even lower down to his extremely hard cock. "He's been such a good boy. Should we take it off for him, Liam?"

"After he pleases you," Liam answered firmly, making Niall groan and whimper as the Dom pulled him off of his cock.

Zayn pushed the come that slipped out of Niall's hole back inside and kept it trapped inside with his fingers saying, "Pass me a plug, Liam."

Once Niall was plugged, Zayn grasped his hair in his hand and ordered, "On your knees. Open your mouth."

Harry had learned after lots of 'sex-watching' that when they were dominating in bed, Liam and Zayn were both very different.

Liam was rougher than Zayn, though he was not unkind with Niall during sex — he always made sure the blond Sub was comfortable with what was happening before taking action. He enjoyed controlling Niall's orgasms, making sure that the Sub properly pleasured him before he let Niall have come. Harry figured it was a Dom thing, controlling your Sub's orgasms.

Zayn, on the other hand, enjoyed gentle, loving sex better. In fact, for him, Harry would much rather call it 'love-making' rather than sex. The dark-haired Dom enjoyed teasing his Sub, making him almost on edge before bringing him to orgasm. He enjoyed playing with Niall for hours and hours, and if it weren't for Liam who stopped him, Harry figured that the two of them could go on for days and days.

Currently, Zayn was rubbing the head of his cock against Niall's tongue, making the Sub whine and look up at his Dom. "Such a good boy," Zayn murmured as he gave a nod for Niall to begin sucking.

The blond boy sucked as if his life depended on it, lips and mouth doing a sinful thing. Harry shifted, his erection seeming to get even harder as he couldn't help but imagine him in Niall's position, sucking Louis' cock, pleasing his Dom … no, what was he thinking? There was no way that the blue-eyed man wanted to do things like this with him.

He was jolted out of his thoughts when he heard Zayn moan and say, "I'm coming, Ni," before releasing into his Sub's mouth.

The blond Sub, who was now used to this, just swallowed all of it and leaned against Zayn's knee, looking content.

"Your turn, lovie," Liam murmured, scooping the boy up and pressing a kiss to his forehead. He released the cock ring, making the Sub gasp. "You've been such a good boy for us." Liam began to stroke up and down.

"So, so good, Ni," Zayn added, kissing Niall, as if they hadn't kissed enough already.

"Now, just like a good boy—" Liam crooned.

"You are allowed to come," Zayn finished.

With a wail, Niall came, shaking from the waves of pleasure that washed over him.

Harry watched as the two Doms immediately fussed over their Sub, asking if he wanted anything, and decided now would be a good time to leave the room to give them some privacy.

He entered the shower, washing his hair.

He paused, then gripped his cock, and began to jerk himself off, moaning and whimpering Louis' name.

It hit him then how much he loved and adored Louis.

It scared him, even.

* * *

 **Hope you enjoyed! Not really sure of what I think of this chapter ... hmm :/**

 **Just to make sure everyone understands, Liam and Zayn have told and asked Louis for his permission about Harry watching the trio have sex, so Harry is not cheating on Louis. And Liam and Zayn are not forcing Niall to go ask Harry; Niall has given his consent for stuff like that - he enjoys showing other people that he belongs to Liam and Zayn.**

 **Question of the Week: Do you think Liam will eventually remove Harry from Louis' authority?**


	18. Chapter 18

**WARNINGS FOR THE CHAPTER: Very, very brief mention of masturbation, mentions of panic attack, something similar to a panic attack occurs, angst, mentions of past abuse (verbal), mentions of degrading names, snogging, short mention of little girl drowning, mean words ;)**

* * *

"There wasn't much to buy, but I found what I could," Louis said as he entered the hotel.

Harry, freshly showered and feeling extremely refreshed, just said, "It's okay. We can always just go outside to eat, I guess."

Louis glanced around. "Where are Ni and the others?"

"They're, uh …" Harry trailed off awkwardly, trying to explain as casually as he could. He couldn't just say, ' _Oh, Niall and the others? They just had sex and made me watch, but you're not mad, right, because you know about it? Oh, and by the way, after they finished up with fucking like rabbits, I went to the shower and jerked myself off imagining you._ '

Although, simply being as blunt as that would make things much easier.

Louis seemed to catch on, though, eyes widening and saying, "Oh. Still?"

"Well, I left their room when they stopped," Harry said uneasily. "I think they're just, uh, cleaning up now."

Amusement flashed in Louis' eyes, mixed along with something else Harry couldn't decipher as easily. Was it hurt? Anger? Sadness? Whatever it was, it was gone so quickly that Harry thought it hadn't even been there in the first place.

Before the two could continue their awkward conversation, Liam walked out, carrying a freshly-showered, damp-haired Niall in his arms. "Sorry we took so long," Liam said, tossing Niall onto the couch and tickling him, making the blond-haired boy laugh and slap at his Dom's hands. "We got, uh, held up in the shower too."

Harry snorted and Louis rolled his eyes. "You three really are going at it like rabbits," Louis teased with a smirk.

"Maybe little Curly here should join one day," Liam jabbed back, ruffling Harry's hair.

Harry laughed and pushed the Dom away, exclaiming, "Stop it, Liam!" He looked up, breathless, and fake-scowled up at Liam, a smile still playing on his lips. He turned to Niall and joked, "Your Dom is such a pain in the arse."

Niall smirked and rolled his eyes. "Tell me about it."

"Hey!" Liam said, mock-appalled, and lunged at Niall, attacking his face with kisses and smooches.

Harry laughed as Niall squealed, and jumped up from the couch to avoid getting kicked. He good-naturedly pretended to gag at the immense amount of love Liam was showing, making Niall flip him off.

"Hey, Harry?"

Grinning, Harry turned to the owner of the voice, tensing a bit when he realized who it was. He opened his mouth to speak, but before he could say anything, the blue-eyed Dom turned and disappeared immediately into his bedroom.

Eyebrows furrowed and confused, Harry decided it probably wasn't that big of a deal, trying not to think about it too much as he turned back to the still-giggling Niall.

* * *

Louis threw himself on his bed, growling and just about ready to punch himself in the face. Instead of that, he settled for punching his pillow instead. His face would probably thank him for that later anyway.

"Stupid!" he snarled, punching the pillow again. "I'm such a fucking arse!"

"Well, someone's feeling a bit down."

Louis whirled around, a dark scowl still on his face, glowering at Zayn. "Get out of here, you fucking ugly dickface!" he snarled, flipping the dark-haired Dom off.

Zayn just raised an eyebrow silently and stepped inside the room, shutting the door and locking it behind him.

"God, you're too beautiful; what am I saying?" Louis let out an emotionless, angry laugh, getting even more enraged as Zayn neared. "Get the fuck out of my room!"

"Technically, it's the resort's room," Zayn corrected with a smile, sitting down next to Louis regardless of how the other Dom was feeling. "And someone's having a temper tantrum."

"I'm not having a temper tantrum," Louis snapped at his friend.

"You need to calm down," Zayn said, reaching out and putting a hand on Louis' shoulder. "You're shaking."

"No shit, Sherlock!" Louis snapped, though he took a few deep breaths, trying to calm down. He swallowed when he realized that his hands were trembling, his mouth and throat were dry, and he felt … helpless. Completely, utterly helpless.

To his dismay, he felt his eyes prickling with tears, and he swallowed against the lump in his throat once more, coughing at the dry texture he had just swallowed against.

"Here." Zayn passed him a water bottle after opening it for him. "Drink."

"Thanks," Louis croaked after finishing the water bottle to his satisfaction. He threw the empty bottle carelessly to the ground, still quivering a bit. "S-Sorry for—"

"There's no need to be sorry," Zayn interrupted firmly, his arm still wrapped around Louis' trembling body. "Don't worry about all the things you said. Just lean back against me; relax. You need to relax."

Louis sighed and let peace wash over him, replacing the intense emotions of anger and remorse that had been running through his veins earlier. "You're really good at this," he admitted to his friend, who just smiled.

"I know," he said shamelessly. "It sure helps in situations like these when you have a sub who used to have panic attacks 24/7, huh?"

"Niall?" Louis blinked. Sweet, innocent, happy little Niall had had panic attacks?

"Yeah. They weren't so pretty." Zayn grimaced. "Not my business to tell though, sorry, mate. Don't know if he wants you or Harry knowing 'bout his past, you know?"

"'s fine," Louis answered, sighing. The two stayed silent for a few moments before Louis said, "I'm so fucked up."

Zayn shrugged. "Everyone is in some point of their lives," was his reply.

"No," Louis argued tiredly, closing his eyes. "You don't understand." He could feel his lips trembling again. God, he was so useless. "What kind of a Dom can't even kiss or discipline his own submissive?"

"A Dom who's still learning," Zayn said firmly. "There's nothing wrong with you, Lou, people just have different instincts and feelings on this matter—"

"I'm such a failure," Louis sobbed, finally breaking down. "L-Logan was right. I'm not fit to be a Dominant; I-I should just go to h-him and—"

A knock on the door interrupted the two. "Lou? You in there?"

"Y-Yes," Louis called shakily.

There was a pause, and then Liam said more quietly through the still-locked door, "Are you alright?"

"We'll be out in a second, Li," Zayn said, answering for Louis. "Keep the boys busy; don't let them get the impression that something's wrong, alright?"

"Okay."

The blue-eyed Dom shot him a grateful look. There was no response, indicating that Liam had left.

Zayn immediately turned to Louis, who was still quietly crying. "Lou, listen to me. Hey! Look at me." Zayn cupped Louis' cheek in his hand, bringing his face up to look at him. "You. Are. Not. Messed. Up," Zayn said firmly. "You're perfectly fine. You're a great Dom. You and I both know that what Logan said was _not_ true — you're the real Dom, not Logan. Logan was abusive, Louis, don't you get it? He was abusive when you were his sub. It's a good thing you left."

"I-I'm no good as a Dom," Louis whispered, voice cracking. "Harry doesn't need me. Nobody needs me. At least if I go to Logan, I'll be something."

"If you go to Logan, you'll be a fucktoy," Zayn corrected, just about ready to slap some sense into his friend. "Besides, Logan is in jail for abuse towards you. For mentally and emotionally abusing you. What he did, Lou, is _wrong_. Doms don't act like that. Doms don't call their subs a slut, or a useless fat fucking pig — unless the sub gives his consent to be called names like that. And you didn't."

"It's hard," Louis admitted, tears slowing down. "You don't understand. My score was 45% Submissive, 55% Dominant. Yours was 37% Submissive and 63% Dominant. It's hard — impossible — to relate if you're mainly Dominant, not almost half and half like I was!"

"I can try," Zayn said. He stood up. "C'mon, up. You and I both know that the boys will start fussing if we don't hurry up. Curious ones, they are."

Louis quietly stood up and tried his best to look presentable. He sniffled and said, "Thanks, Zaynie."

"No problem, Lou." Just before they stepped out, Zayn placed a hand on Louis' shoulders and said, "Oh, and Lou?"

"Yeah?"

"You're an amazing person. You've just got to believe it."

* * *

"Last day on vacation, eh, boys?" Zayn said as they ate breakfast at the buffet of their resort. "Disappointed?" He helpfully moved Niall's leash away from his mouth as the blond sub spooned scrambled eggs into his mouth.

"Yeah," Harry sighed, stabbing at his bacon with a pout. "I hate this leash; can't Ni and I just take it off?" He gave puppy eyes as the Doms exchanged looks, then shook their heads. "Oh, c'mon!"

"Sorry, Haz," Louis said, ruffling his hair. "Last day and all, I know, but a punishment is a punishment. Can't say you don't deserve it."

Harry grumbled but left it at that as he continued eating. Just as they finished up eating, a girl and her Dom passed by, each holding a giant ice cream cone with two enormous scoops.

"Can we get ice cream?" he asked immediately, licking his lips.

Louis chuckled. "You just ate," he teased, poking Harry. "Are you sure you can fit any more food in your stomach?"

Harry pouted. "Of course I can!" he argued, sticking his tongue out. He grinned when Louis laughed.

"We'll get it," Niall offered, jumping up and grabbing Zayn and Liam's hands and dragged them off to find the nearest ice cream shop. "Wait outside and we'll come soon."

Louis and Harry exchanged a look and gave a small laugh at Niall's antics. "Let's go outside," Louis said with a smile. "Last day — we might as well make good use of it."

Harry gave a small smile and they exited the restaurant. Harry grumbled a bit when Louis had to walk along beside him with the leash in his hand, but he didn't say anything. It was pointless to argue now, anyway.

"Beautiful weather," Louis commented.

"Yeah," Harry agreed easily, quirking a smile when he saw a little boy fall over on the beach and start giggling.

"Haz?"

Harry looked at the blue-eyed Dom, who was blushing. He raised an eyebrow and said, "Yeah?"

"I …" Louis swallowed, seeming nervous. "You're so beautiful, you know. I just … wish that I could be better for you. I don't deserve you."

"Yes, you do," Harry replied, heart panging in pain at the Dom's words. "Don't say that."

"I'm not a good Dom. I'm not like Liam, or Zayn."

"Well, you're just unique."

Louis smiled, blue eyes twinkling in the sunlight. He faced Harry completely now, almost chest to chest, and Louis murmured, "I'd love to kiss you."

"Then kiss me, you fool," Harry breathed.

Their lips met, brushing against each other softly. Harry gasped softly when Louis' teeth grazed his bottom lip before pulling away. "That was lovely," Harry admitted once he caught his breath, with a blush that rivalled the Dom's.

Louis grinned and said, "Then let me do it again." He kissed Harry again, a sweet gentle kiss this time, and breathed, "I love you."

Normally Harry would have said something along the lines of, "I love you too," or, "I love you more." But then he remembered Louis' words, a flash of anger sizzling through his veins.

 _I don't deserve you._

He fumed — of course Louis bloody deserved him! Hell, it was probably the other way around! He gritted his teeth, desperately wanting Louis to know how he felt. The words tumbled from his mouth before he could stop them, even though he knew he'd regret them.

"Do you?" he said, staring into Louis' piercing blue eyes that flashed with slight hurt at his harsh words. "Do you love me?"

"Yes," Louis said without hesitating. "I love you so much."

Harry stared back. "Well, you haven't really been showing it. You haven't exactly been the best Dom to me—" Then he stopped, realizing he was stepping too far. He dropped his gaze and murmured, "S-Sorry. I don't know what came over me." He looked up, expecting Louis to be upset — angry, even.

He was _not_ expecting Louis to be staring at him with an unknown expression.

"We need to talk," the Dom said. "Harry, I—"

"And hello there, lovebirds!" Niall skipped over; it was a wonder how the ice cream had not fallen with the blond's energetic enthusiasm. "Ice cream has arrived!"

Harry grinned and took the ice cream from Niall. "Thanks, Ni," he said with a smile, trying to forget the tension in between him and Louis.

"Hope you're okay with cookies and cream, Curly," Liam said. "Ni-Ni said that you liked cookies and cream."

"He's got that right," Harry said with a smile.

Before the five lads could continue their savoring of the ice cream, there were two loud squeals behind them, making Harry drop and almost drop his ice cream cone. He turned around to see two girls freaking out behind them.

"Oh my gosh!" one of them was squealing. "It's Liam Payne and Zayn Malik! Oh my gosh!"

The five boys exchanged surprised looks at the fact that someone seemed to recognize them. Zayn, looking flattered, gave them a sweet smile and said, "Hello," seeming to make the girls squeal even more. Harry was surprised they hadn't fainted yet.

"Please, can we have a picture with you?"

"Of course," Liam agreed immediately. "C'mere, Lou, you can take the pictures."

Louis took the girl's camera, smiling, and waited patiently for the girls to stop hugging the two CEO's.

After the pictures, one of the girls, blushing quite deeply, said, "Would it be alright if we just took you to over to the café over there?" She gestured towards the small coffee shop, and added, "My daughter absolutely loves you as well; she'd freak if she saw you two, to be honest."

They all laughed, though Liam and Zayn seemed to be a bit hesitant to leave the two mischievous subs and Louis alone. "Lou," Liam began worriedly.

Louis waved him off, saying, "I'll be fine, Liam, no worries. You and Mr. Beautiful go on and make a girl's day." He smiled, though Harry could see it was tight.

Reluctantly, the two men disappeared with the two girls, who were chatting and laughing excitedly.

Louis turned to the subs and commented, "This ice cream is delicious—"

The three lads jumped when a scream was heard behind them. "Help!" a shrill voice screamed. "I can't swim! Help!"

Harry gasped when he saw a little girl, who seemed to be around five years old, floundering desperately in the nearby pool. She was coughing and spluttering with no one else to help her and her parents nowhere to be seen.

Louis immediately dropped the two subs' leashes and rushed off to help the little girl, who kept disappearing under the surface before coming back up for two seconds, coughing.

"Hey, Harry!"

Harry blinked and turned around. Niall was carrying his own leash in his hand, grinning, and pulled out a small red rubber ball from his pocket. "Let's go," he whispered, tipping his head towards the other direction.

"Are you kidding?" Harry spluttered. "Our Doms will kill us!"

"It's fine!" Niall rolled his eyes. "Don't be a pussy."

Harry, although a bit hesitantly, began to rush along beside Niall in the other direction Louis had headed. _They're going to kill us_ , was the only thought in his head. The Doms were going to be so mad at him, and if he were being honest, he really wasn't in the mood for a punishment. However, he also didn't want him seeming like a weakling to Niall.

He figured going with his head would be best — it told him to follow Niall through on this, although his heart was screaming at him to be a good boy for Louis. He pushed the thoughts away, gritting his teeth.

 _You're such a disappointment._

Harry flinched.

 _Disappointment._

He barely managed to swallow over the lump in his throat.

 _Poor excuse of a sub. Louis would be disgusted with you._

He scowled and mentally punched himself. _No, he wouldn't_ , he spat silently. _Louis' proud of me. He's proud to be my Dom, and he loves me._

Yet again, he found himself wondering if those words were true, or if his life was just a lie.


	19. Chapter 19

**WARNINGS FOR THE CHAPTER:** **Paddling, extremely harsh words spoken from one Dom to another, kneeling, spanking bench, straps/cuffs, angst. LOTS of angst. Be warned.**

* * *

"Where the fuck are they?"

Louis flinched at Liam's harsh tone. "I-I don't know!" he whispered, voice cracking. He had completely forgotten about the two Subs that were under his responsibility. He only remembered the thought that he had to save the little girl who had been drowning. Yet again, he cursed his luck.

He always fucked things up.

"I'll go find them," Zayn said, glancing at Liam, who was positively seething, "You need to calm down, love."

"I'm calm!" Liam snapped.

Zayn raised an eyebrow and quirked a smirk. Then he jogged off to find the subs — they couldn't be too far away, could they?

"I'm really sorry, Liam," Louis said softly. "I-I wasn't thinking. The girl—"

"Someone else would've saved her!" Liam retorted, still seemingly angry.

Louis shrank back but timidly stated, "There was no one else there! She would've drowned!"

No response.

Louis gave a frustrated sigh and ran his hands through his hair, gripping it tightly, shivering at the feeling. It was strangely satisfying. "I always mess everything up," Louis said softly, not intentionally meaning to say it out loud.

Still no response.

Louis swallowed. Well. That had hurt. It showed that Liam basically agreed with him on that matter — he did always screw everything up. He wasn't even a proper Dom; he could barely give orders to Harry!

 _Stupid!_ A voice in his head scolded. _If it was Zayn or Liam in your position, Harry and Niall wouldn't have dared run away! They can't view you as a proper Dom, because you aren't one!_

"Lou, you need to get your shit collected." Liam's voice jerked him out of his thoughts.

Louis flushed when he realized that he'd just said all of that out loud. Great. "I know," he simply muttered. "I know I do."

Liam turned to him, eyes flaring. "Then why don't you? Why _can't_ you?"

"I just … _I just can't!_ " Louis snapped, voice cracking. "I _can't,_ Liam, don't you understand? I'm not like you! I'm not fucking perfect!"

"I'm not either!" the other Dom shouted back, gripping his fists tightly. "But at least I try!"

Louis flinched as if Liam had just punched him. Well, it had certainly felt like the equivalent of him doing so, anyway.

"I … at least I don't invite other subs to watch me having a threesome!" Louis yelled back, anger exploding.

Liam's jaw dropped open and he straightened, body rigid with fury. Louis swore he could hear the other Dom's teeth grinding together in rage. "I did that to help!" Liam roared, still gritting his teeth so hard that Louis was convinced he was going to break his own jaw. "I did that to make you jealous! Don't you understand? I DID IT TO MAKE YOU JEALOUS SO THAT YOU WOULD ACTUALLY STEP UP!"

Louis stared, mouth wide open in shock. Then, composing himself, he growled lowly, "Well, I didn't need you to 'make me jealous' or whatever bullshit you're going on and on about." He turned around and snarled, "You can go fuck yourself, Liam."

* * *

"Pass it here, Niall!" Harry called, waving his arms. He grunted when Niall threw the ball over to him with all his might, and barely managed to catch it. "Shit," he cursed when it nearly slipped out of his hands. "Dick," he grumbled. "I knew you did that on purpose."

Sure enough, Niall grinned. "Hurry up, you arse!" was all he shouted.

Harry rolled his eyes. "Let's stop for a bit," he requested. "I'm getting tired."

The two subs sat down, sweating and hot, and stared at the way the ocean waves crashed against the sand. The sound of children's laughter was like music in Harry's ears, and he wished he could be that carefree again.

"Can't believe it's our last day," Niall pouted. "Then we have to go back home, and … well, everything will be back to normal. We'll get bombarded by paps, Liam and Zayn will have to go back to work, and we'll be stuck inside the whole day."

"Life honestly sucks," Harry sighed. "There are way too many bad things for it to be enjoyable …"

"There's good too," Niall pointed out. "We both have fucking brilliant Doms who spoil us from head to toe. We made friends, and we have each other."

"Guess so." Harry picked at his fingernails. "Since when did you get so wise, Nialler?" he teased.

Niall made an offended sound, though he was also grinning. "Excuse me!" he gasped. "I was always wise!"

Harry snorted. "Sure, whatever you say."

"Tell me boys, if you were so wise, then why would you run away?"

Both subs jumped to their feet. They blanched when they saw who was behind them.

"Hi, Zayn," Niall squeaked, face still pale. "Missed you."

"Mhm." Zayn sounded unimpressed. "Leashes." He just snapped his fingers, making both subs fumble to find the end of their leashes and hand it shamefully to the Dom. "We're going back. And I think it'd be appropriate to apologize to Louis for running off. What do you think, boys?"

"Agreeable," Harry said meekly.

"That's what I thought," Zayn agreed, raising an eyebrow and stance full of dominance.

Harry and Niall exchanged an uneasy glance as they started to walk back. _We're so screwed_ , Harry thought.

"We're gonna get a hell of a punishment now," Niall whispered, making sure that only Harry heard.

Harry gulped and nodded. Running off without notice was plenty bad; it was even worse when they were already in trouble and misbehaved! He doubted Louis would actually do anything to him but felt a flash of sympathy for the blond sub beside him — Zayn and Liam were strict and very firm on discipline!

Sure enough, as the waiting Liam and Louis came into their vision, Zayn tugged Niall's leash, bringing the sub closer, and gripped his hair firmly. The blond winced and whined a little.

As they neared, Harry could see that the two Doms were having a discussion. They both looked … unhappy?

"I'm sorry, Liam," Louis was muttering. "It was wrong of me."

 _Probably just a joking matter that got out of hand,_ Harry thought dismissively. After all, Liam and Louis _did_ banter with each other often — they both found it amusing.

However, instead of the usual reply that Liam gave, he just shook his head, not meeting Louis' upset eyes. Liam gave the now sullen-looking Louis a look before walking away and saying, "C'mon, Niall. Inside."

Liam began to usher the pouty Niall back inside the resort, Zayn trailing behind them after handing Harry's leash to his own respective Dom.

Louis looked absolutely crushed, and Harry began to wonder what had happened between the two Doms.

* * *

They were on the plane, heading home. Harry stared out of the window as the plane became airborne in the sky, soaring through the clouds. He grimaced when his ears popped because of the different altitude, and reached out for the water bottle in front of him, hoping it would help.

He took a few sips before securely twisting the cap back on. He glanced to the side, where Niall was leaning on Zayn's shoulder, snoring lightly. The dark-haired Dom was gently petting the sub's blond hair, and Liam was pressed securely against Niall's other side.

Harry couldn't help but feel envious, although it felt wrong. Was it weird for him to be jealous of his friend by the way his Doms treated him?

Louis was a fine Dom himself! Harry scoffed to himself, turning up the volume for his music a bit more when the loud humming of the plane drowned it out.

He glanced at his Dom, in the seat next to him, and wondered how long it would be until secrets and mysteries began to unravel themselves. _Not long,_ he told himself.

After all, secrets never stayed as secrets.

* * *

It was not until the next morning when the Doms deemed it fit that punishment was in order for their misbehaviour. After a fairly quiet breakfast, the only sound being footie on the television, Harry and Niall were directed to kneel in the living room silently.

A pair of feet stopped in front of them.

Zayn.

"I cannot believe the nerve that the two of you have."

Harry flinched. It was rare that Zayn got this upset, but when he did … well, you were screwed. With Liam, it was a regular occurrence, showing his emotions visibly for the others to see and note. Zayn, however? The dark-haired haired man had a tendency to hide whatever he was feeling, remaining stoic and collected. Harry knew that most Doms got extremely upset when their subs were put in danger (or rather, they put themselves in danger), but Zayn especially seemed to get awfully distressed over it.

"We're sorry, Zaynie," Niall whimpered.

Both subs were currently kneeling on the hard floor, back in the resort. Their leashes had been clipped off; however, their collars remained around their necks.

"That's 'Sir' to you at the moment, Niall James Horan," Zayn rebuked sharply.

Niall shrank back.

"Running off is bad enough, but running off while a punishment is already being administered?" Zayn shook his head and ran a frustrated hand through his hair. "I don't even know what to say anymore, boys. It seems like every scolding we give you goes into one ear and comes out of the other without even processing the words."

"That's not true!" Niall pouted.

"Quiet!"

Niall shut his mouth.

"Niall, in our bedroom. Strip yourself from your clothing. Then get on your knees and elbows, ass in the air, on the bed. You have five minutes."

Niall rushed off.

"Harry, you can wait kneeling next to the bed in your and Louis' bedroom."

"But—" Harry began.

At the exact same time, Louis protested, "Zayn, I—"

Zayn just repeated his words, giving Harry a look that told him to obey. Harry dubiously scrambled to his feet and stumbled along. His heart was pounding, blood rushing through his ears at the scrambled thoughts in his head. He was going to be punished.

Louis was going to punish him.

He did as Zayn had ordered, breathing harsh from nervousness. He was sure he had been kneeling there for at least ten minutes. He heard faint voices in the background — probably Louis and Zayn arguing on the matter of punishment. Lost in his thoughts, he hadn't heard the bedroom door open, so he flinched when he felt a warm hand on the back of his neck.

"Come with me."

Harry stood up silently and followed Louis. He knew where they were going.

The basement.

That's where all of his punishments took place. Sure enough, in a few minutes, he found himself standing in the cold, dim basement with his Dom in front of him.

"We're going to do this the way we always do." Louis' voice was soft, fingers trembling as he brushed Harry's neck, as if he were just as nervous as Harry was. He probably was, if not more.

 _He means the usual routine,_ a voice told him snidely, making Harry grit his teeth. _The way it always happened._ It was obvious what would happen. Harry was quite surprised that Liam or Zayn hadn't come in with Louis to make sure he was properly punishing him — they were probably busy with Niall, attending to their own sub, however.

"Okay," Harry answered shakily — what other answer was there, anyway?

"Good," Louis uttered softly, running a hand through the sub's curls for a few seconds, as if trying to brace himself for what was to happen next. "Harry, can you kneel for me?" Louis asked gently, continuously petting the sub's curls. "I-It's okay if you don't want to, I don't want to pressure you; I was just—"

He was cut off when Harry dropped obediently to his knees, still not making eye contact.

"Good boy," Louis murmured. "Such a good boy, hm?"

"Y-Yeah," Harry whispered.

"I'm going to paddle you. Do you think you'll be able to stay still?"

Harry thought for a few seconds, before he shook his head, because honestly speaking? He wouldn't be able to stay still. Wordlessly, Louis gestured to a spanking bench in the center of the basement, and Harry silently climbed onto it. It was nothing new anyway; he had been strapped onto it far too many times by now.

Louis heaved a shaky sigh. Surprisingly, this wasn't causing him much anxiety. Not yet, at least. Sure enough, his chest tightened more and more as he cuffed Harry's ankles, just like they had always done.

"Fifteen with the paddle," Louis announced shakily once Harry was properly fastened down.

"Yes, Sir," Harry said softly. He flinched when he felt the light touch of a paddle on his bum, and it tapped two more times before it came down firmly. "Ow!" he hissed to himself. "One, Sir."

They made it all the way up to seven without much trouble, until Harry heard a sharp intake of breath behind him, and before he could comprehend what was happening, he saw a dark shadow fleet upstairs, and his heart sank.

Louis.

Louis had left him.

He stared forlornly at the paddle that was now laid on the ground, taunting him, teasing him. "Shit," he whispered, barely managing to speak over the lump in his throat. Frustrated, he pulled at his restraints, and huffed when it did nothing.

Helpless, like always.

He wasn't sure how long he had been there for, lying over the spanking bench, but the lights turned onto its highest suddenly, making him dazedly blink, trying to adjust to the change.

"What—? Harry?"

"Zayn," Harry breathed, not able to help but feel relieved when he heard the man's voice. He would be freed from his restraints. He would be able to stretch his legs and arms, and reduce the pain in his sore muscles.

"Where's Louis?"

"I-I don't know," Harry croaked weakly.

"I … okay. Let's get you down from that, first, before we go into details." Zayn puffed out a breath before he released the restraints that had been preventing Harry from moving. "You okay?"

Harry grimaced and moved his arms and legs a bit, wincing at the pain as the blood started rushing again. "I'll be fine," he sighed.

"Here, drink some water." Zayn quickly fetched a cold bottle of water from the mini fridge they had in the corner of the room, and Harry gratefully gulped down half of the bottle before pausing to take a breath. "What happened, Curly? Is Louis okay?"

"I-I'm not sure," Harry admitted. "We were, um, administering my punishment. We were using the paddle, and we were doing fine — or rather, Louis was doing fine — and, um—"

"Relax, Harry," Zayn said, putting a warm hand on his shoulder, looking serious. "You need to calm down. Take a few deep breaths."

Harry did as he was told, and flushed, embarrassed. "Sorry," he mumbled.

"That's perfectly fine," Zayn replied, smoothing a gentle hand over his curls. "Want to continue?"

"Yeah," Harry sighed. "Louis panicked, I think. He just dropped the paddle and he ran upstairs. And then I'm not really sure what happened, because I was restrained."

"For how long?"

"Erm, I'm not sure … fifteen minutes, I suppose?"

Zayn made a soft sound and rubbed his face with a hand, looking frustrated. "Liam's gonna freak," he admitted. "He's always been so strict on being a good Dom, being the perfect Dom …"

"What's going to happen?" Harry asked anxiously, biting at his already raw bottom lip.

"Don't," Zayn said softly, pulling his lip away from his teeth. "You'll hurt yourself."

"Zayn, answer my question," Harry insisted, heart thumping rapidly. His heart skipped a beat when Zayn hesitated, and he urged, "It's not going to make anything better if you try hiding it from me."

"Liam will probably end up sending Louis away," Zayn conceded reluctantly.

Harry's blood went cold.

* * *

"What the fuck is wrong with you?"

Louis choked as strong hands grappled the collar of his shirt and shoved him against the wall. "Liam!" he snarled, already in a bad mood. "Fucking let go!" Surprisingly, the other Dom did so, looking at him distastefully.

"How do you expect to be a Dom when you're that crap at it?" Liam spat, and Louis immediately flinched, feeling like he'd just been stabbed right in his gut.

"I try," Louis retorted, pulling his hair in frustration. "But I fail."

"Because you don't try enough!" Liam snarled. "How do you expect any sub to respect you that way, never mind Harry? Also, leaving him like that, restrained, in the basement? Dumbass." He laughed, sneering.

"Fuck off," Louis growled, stomping to his desk and practically throwing his phone on the desk.

"You just don't understand, do you?" Liam scoffed. His eyes were full of scorn. "You're a _failure_ , Louis. You've failed, and you'll keep failing."

" _Shut up!_ " Louis punched Liam, right in the middle of his face. Pain shot up his knuckles, and he could only imagine how much agony Liam would feel. _Serves him right,_ he scorned.

" _You're leaving!_ " was the scream of retort.

Louis froze, heart jumping. "What?" he whispered.

"You're leaving," Liam repeated, trembling and not looking him in the eye. "As CEO Liam Payne, Head of the Association of Dominants and Submissives, I take your title as Dominant of Harry away."

"You … you can't," Louis croaked. "Liam—"

"You're leaving for a train, tomorrow at 7 in the morning. It'll take you to a place called 'Wayward Dominants' Training Home'. You're going to stay there until they deem you worthy enough to leave. And maybe then, I'll think about returning Harry to you."

The door shut behind the man, and Louis stared for a few silent, cold seconds before he fell to his knees and let out a silent sob.

* * *

It was time, Liam knew.

It was his last chance to chase after his best friend, his fucking _brother_ , and make things right. Last night, he had tossed and turned in bed, filled with guilt and sadness at what he'd said and done.

He glanced at the clock once more and hesitated. Would he get there in time? It was 6:17 AM now. Louis had left approximately at 6 o'clock. If Liam left now, he could make it in time — it would take him around twenty minutes to arrive at the train station, thirty at the most.

Without thinking, he grabbed a coat and immediately went to his car. The engine roared to life, and he sped off.

He knew Zayn would take care of Niall, so he didn't have to worry about that.

 _You've failed_ , he had said. He'd seen the look of hurt on Louis' face when he had spoken those harsh words, yet he'd continued like the stupid arse he was. _Make things right_ , he told himself.

He hoped Louis would forgive him.

He arrived at the station at 6:50 AM. Knowing he was running out of time, he jogged over and entered, heart sinking when he realized how big it was. Thankfully, it was still early in the morning, so it was not hard to track Louis down.

Liam paused, eyeing the other former Dom. Louis was seated on one of the benches, staring blankly into space.

Liam swallowed, and before he could chicken out, he called, "Lou." He winced when he saw the blue-eyed man go rigid at the sound of his voice and slowly turn around.

"Liam," Louis said monotonously. "You're here. Why're you here?"

"I …" Liam took a deep breath.

 _Make things right._

"I'm sorry," he said shamefully. "I was … too harsh on you. Unacceptably harsh."

Louis just stared at him, dark and heavy bags under his eyes. "'s alright," he mumbled. "I understand."

"Lou," Liam whispered, heart shattering into a million pieces in pain at how emotionless his friend sounded.

Something in the beautiful azure blue eyes changed. "It's okay, Liam," Louis said gently, reaching out and placing a hand on Liam's arm. "I'll be okay. Don't worry."

"I'm so sorry," Liam croaked, and the dam broke. Tears trickled down his cheeks and he tried to hide them, ending up surprised when Louis enveloped him in a tight hug.

"It's okay," Louis said again, voice hoarse. "You … made a good choice. This will help me."

"Be careful," Liam sniffled. "Be safe."

Louis smiled sadly. "You too," he said softly. "Keep Harry safe."

"Promise," Liam swore. "I swear on my heart, I will."

"Thank you," Louis breathed.

They both jumped when the horn blew as the train arrived. It was time. There was no turning back.

They stared for five more seconds, before Louis tore his gaze away and picked up his belongings. Just before he boarded the train and got lost amongst the other people entering, he stopped, turned around and gave Liam a smile.

Liam smiled back, although it was painful to do so. He watched as the train left, taking away his best friend with it, leaving him standing alone in the train station. His shoulders slumped in defeat. He turned around to go back home; there was nothing else he could do now.

 _Make things right_ , he told himself.

He would keep Harry safe. He had to, on behalf of Louis.

It was a promise, never to be broken.

* * *

Harry knew from the moment that he woke up it would be a bad day for multiple reasons.

First, the general mood in the house seemed to be blue. A usually-cheerful Niall always came to wake him up in the mornings, with the exceptions of when Louis did so, but this morning, Niall's eyes had been red-rimmed as if he'd been crying. When Harry had asked him what had happened, Niall had just shook his head and disappeared back into his own room.

Second, there had been no sign of Louis yet, and it was 8 o'clock. Louis usually came and chatted with him for a few minutes, fifteen at the most, and it was always before 8 o'clock.

Third, he had woken up to a letter on the end of his bed, and he immediately knew that something bad was going to happen. The last time he had gotten a letter, it had been a goodbye letter from one of his close friends when they were moving away.

With trembling fingers, he opened the sealed envelope. It read:

 _Dear Harry,_

 _I know it's a bit late to apologize, but I'm going to say it anyway. I'm sorry — for leaving, for being a horrible Dom, for not being able to take care of you, and for many other deeds that I've failed to do for you as your Dominant. I'd had thoughts about this whole thing of being a bad Dom for a few weeks now. Liam hasn't exactly been helping. Now, don't blame him, of course; he only has good intentions. Also, I suppose it was pretty frustrating for him to watch me fail over and over again. The only thing I said was "I tried". Well, it didn't do much, obviously, because I'm here writing this letter to you._

 _I know if I tried to say this to your face in person, I'd probably break down crying and sobbing — wouldn't be really pretty, would it? Besides, I've shown enough weakness in front of you already; I don't need to show more than I've already done so. As your Dom, I should have been caring, strong, and always there for you. I was the complete opposite. This is the reason why I'm heading off to a place called 'Wayward Dominants' Training Home'. Kind of a shameful name, really, but don't worry, it's trustworthy. After all, it's funded by the ADS, and Zayn and Liam have only the most trustworthy workers there. Who knows? Maybe I will really improve from this._

 _Telling you this won't exactly help decrease the pain you must be feeling right now, but telling you everything will help me get things off of my chest. Call me selfish, but I think you deserve to know the truth. Here goes. When I received my results, I was a 55% Dominant and 45% submissive. And here comes the moment of truth. I wasn't always a Dom. I was originally a sub. I thought it fit me more, but it didn't end so well. My ex-Dom abused me, quite emotionally and mentally. After that trauma, I just couldn't continue to be a sub, so I took the test and qualified to be a Dominant — a totally unprepared Dominant. Liam warned me, I'm not going to deny it. He told me it would be hard, switching from sub to Dom, but my pride got in the way and I said that I would be able to handle it._

 _The first time I saw you, my only thought was that your eyes were so, so beautiful. They were the deepest, more beautiful green I'd ever seen in my life. I know that no matter where I am, I'll always be thinking of you. I feel horrible, honestly speaking, for not being able to be good enough to you. But I'm going to change, Harry, I promise you that. For you, I'll change. And when I've changed, I'm coming back for you, not for anyone else. You were mine, and you always will be. Be safe, be good for your replacement Dom, and never forget._

 _With all the love,_

 _Louis Tomlinson xx_

Harry stared at the letter for another five minutes, blood rushing, heart thumping. _No_ , was all he could think. _No, no, no, no, no, no, no—_

And then he screamed.

He shrieked and screamed and threw the letter to the floor, sobbing brokenly. He stumbled out of his room, blindly went down the stairs, and rushed to open the front door.

"Harry!" he heard someone call behind him, but ignoring it completely, he just ran forward blindly.

 _Onto the road_ , a voice urged him. _Louis' gone. What else do you have left anyway?_

"Yes," he muttered to himself. "True. True, true, true, true, true." Numbly, he stumbled onto what he figured was the road, letting out another hoarse sob. "He left," he sobbed, voice cracking painfully. "He left, he left, he left—"

 _WHAAAAAAMMM!_

All he heard was the loud, blaring noise of a horn. He choked when he felt a harsh grip on his ribs and stomach. He was being pulled, was all he knew. Someone had just saved him from being hit by a car.

"Have you gone mad?" a familiar voice demanded.

"Mad?" Harry laughed emotionlessly. "Mad … I'm mad." He looked up and his anger amplified a hundred times more when he saw who was standing behind him. "What the fuck do you want?" he screamed, not caring who saw the state of him at the moment. It would probably on the front page tomorrow, anyway.

"You need to calm down," Maxwell said with a raised eyebrow, narrowing his eyes.

"You almost bloody got hit by a truck!" Alec hissed at him, not able to keep his composure like Maxwell had. "You are bloody insane, boy!"

"Of course I'm bloody insane!" Harry laughed dryly. "Here, why don't I show you?" He grabbed his hair firmly in his fingers and pulled, as if trying to rip it out of his scalp. It burned, but he didn't stop or resist. "You're bloody creeps, appearing everywhere I am," he sneered, heart pounding. "Go fuck yourself."

Maxwell raised an eyebrow. "We did not follow you here just to be told to go fuck ourselves," he pointed out.

"What's got you in such a mood, anyway?" Alec inquired.

Harry's heart burned with pain. It was as if nothing had happened. He didn't want to speak the words, but he had to. "Louis left me," he said dully. "He left."

There was a pause, as the two men realized the seriousness of the situation. Alec sighed and stated, "That changes all the plans that Ma'am had. She won't be happy to hear—"

"Hush!" Maxwell ordered, giving him a look so powerful that it could've made all subs in the proximity drop to their knees and submit. "Not a single word. We can't distress him even further." He tilted his head slightly towards Harry, indicating that they were speaking of him.

"What is it?" Harry asked. "You can tell me; there's nothing else that'll make me hurt even more," he laughed emotionlessly.

"We're leaving; we need to inform the others of this change," Maxwell told Alec, who had a grim expression on his face. Maxwell turned to Harry and pointed a finger at him. "You, boy, you're going to stay absolutely safe. You're going to always have a friend or someone trusted next to you. You're going to be sensible."

"Sensible, my ass," Harry laughed. He turned around for a split second, and when he turned back, the two mysterious men were gone. "Creeps," he muttered.

He sighed and faced the empty road. Even the trees seemed to be mourning with him.

He sat down, not caring who saw him, not caring that it was cold outside, nor did he take into account the fact he was still in his pyjamas. "Everything's changing," he whispered, his heart aching. He tucked his knees closer to his body, and sniffled as he cried silently.

His life was fucked up.

* * *

 **Hmm, how was it? Quite angsty, this chapter. Basically took out all my emotions on it :p I personally thought it was a bit cringey - what did you think?**

 **Also, I'm trying to decide on having Zayn and Liam as Harry's replaced Doms, or just have another character be his Dom (could be an OC, could be Nick Grimshaw ... I don't know!) Also, I'm debating on the replacement Dom and Harry doing some sexual acts .. obviously the Dom won't take Harry's virginity, but like blowjobs, handjobs? Help me choose, my beloved readers! Tell me what you thought and what you want! Also, ideas are always welcome! xx**


	20. Chapter 20

**WARNINGS FOR THE CHAPTER: Angst, daddy kink, masturbation, hair pulling, blowjob, come eating.**

* * *

"I can't, Zayn," Liam was sobbing. "It's my fault. I made Lou leave, and now Harry is upset, which makes Niall upset, which makes—"

"Shhh, it'll be alright, Li," Zayn soothed. "Shhhh, calm down. You were right in making this decision; when Louis returns, he'll be a much better Dom."

"What if he never comes back?" Liam gasped, eyes bloodshot from crying so much. "T-Then Harry will blame me e-even more and—"

"Don't think like that," Zayn appeased. "You and I both know how headstrong our Lou is. He'll come back as a new man." He sighed when his words did nothing to calm the other man. Ever since Louis had left, the effect had been hard on all of them. There was nothing they could do to help, however. Louis had to figure it out on his own.

All they could do was wait.

And believe.

"File?"

Louis silently handed the file Liam had typed up for him to the woman in the front desk, and she took it. He waited and watched as she typed his information into the system.

"You'll be staying at Hall A, Room 202. You'll have to share with a roommate. Most people do."

"Thank you," he said dully, still numb from the pain of losing Harry. He headed to the hall the woman had indicated. This place reminded him somewhat of a prison, he thought wryly. And well, it certainly felt like one. He was trapped here until he was deemed proper enough to be released from the home. He hoped that he would at least be decent friends with others; he didn't want to be a complete loner, after all.

He found the room number 202 quite quickly, and pulled out his key hesitantly. Should he knock, or just open the door with the key? He settled for the latter. After all, this was his home now as well.

He opened the door and was relieved to find that the room was relatively clean, not dirty like he'd imagined it to be.

However, what was surprising was the fact that there were several pieces of clothing tossed on the ground, along with a Fifa game CD, and was that a half-eaten sandwich?

Louis groaned, his hopes of being alone in a room gone. It was obvious that he had a roommate, judging from the appearance of the room. "At least I won't have to worry about being neat," he muttered to himself, kicking a black shirt to the side.

"And who are you?"

Louis turned around, surprised. He opened his mouth to speak but no words came out.

The other man just raised an eyebrow before casually sticking out a hand. "Josh Devine."

Louis, managing to snap himself out of it, stammered, "Uh, Louis. Louis Tomlinson."

"Great to meet you," Josh exclaimed. "Hope you don't mind the mess. Wasn't really expecting a roommate." He scratched his chin before chuckling, "Or maybe the DA told me and I just didn't pay attention."

"Probably the second one, if you're like me," Louis commented wryly, the words popping out of his mouth before he could stop them.

"Most likely," Josh agreed with a laugh. He clapped Louis on the shoulder and grinned, "I can already tell we're going to get along well."

Louis grinned.

Maybe it wouldn't be so bad here.

Harry hadn't done anything else but stay seated on his bed and stare absentmindedly out of the window. The letter Louis had left him was on his desk, now crumpled and the ink blurred from his tears. He had read over it multiple times and cried every time.

"Harry?" Niall entered cautiously after knocking on the door. "Are you okay?"

Harry didn't reply, just blinking at Niall.

"Er, Liam and Zayn want to see you," Niall said awkwardly, shuffling his feet.

"Are they going to force me get a replacement Dom?" Harry asked, voice hoarse from constantly crying.

Niall hesitated before he sat down next to Harry, placing a hand on his shoulder, looking sympathetic. "Harry," Niall said gently, "you have to get a replacement Dom. It's the law that a submissive must always have a Dominant."

"Fuck the law," Harry said emotionlessly, staring out the window again. He sighed and whispered, "My life is so fucked up."

"It'll be okay," Niall said tentatively. "Louis will be the best Dom ever when he returns."

"Do you think he will?" Harry looked up at the blond sub, who blinked in surprise at his question. "I mean, what makes you think he'll come back for me?"

"He will, Harry," Niall said firmly after a few silent seconds. "I know it."

"How?"

"He loves you," was the reply. "And if someone loves another person, they'll do anything to get them back. Now c'mon, we're keeping Zayn and Liam waiting."

The two subs came downstairs to find the two Doms seated on the couch, waiting for them with papers in front of them.

"Is this the moment you send me away?" Harry asked dully, sitting down in front of them.

"Send you away?" Zayn echoed, raising an eyebrow. "What makes you think we're just going to kick you out?"

Harry shrugged. "You don't have a need for me anymore."

"Not everyone has to have a need," Liam said gently, placing a hand on his kneecap as if he was trying to somewhat relieve Harry of the pain he was feeling. "We need to talk."

"About this situation," Zayn added.

"Situation," Harry repeated bitterly.

"Yes. Situation." Liam looked at him and shoved the papers forward, tapping it with a pen. "Do you know what this is?"

"Papers," Harry stated dryly.

Niall snickered.

"It's a contract," Liam corrected, "and you, mister Harry Styles, get to have the honour of keeping this until you feel that it's appropriate to sign it."

Harry glanced briefly over the contents of the paper. It was mainly about the relationship in between a Dom and a sub, proper etiquette, and what the signing of this contract would mean — wait, what?

 _The signing of this contract of both the Dominant(s) and the submissive(s) will tie them together as partners for as long as necessary_ , Harry read.

"I'm not just going to replace Louis," Harry said lowly, emotionlessly. "You expect me to be okay when you send my Dom — my fucking Dom — away to a home, and then sign a contract with some stranger?"

"You wouldn't exactly be signing it yet," Zayn corrected gently. "This contract, Harry, is for a temporary Dom/sub relationship. Just like in your case. We, as the CEO's of the ADS, can oversee how this turns out — quite literally, I mean."

"Quite literally," Harry echoed dubiously. He seemed to be doing that a lot lately. It was as if his ability to think and form words had run away.

"Yes." Liam reached out again and brushed his fingertips on Harry's knee. "Niall, Zayn, and I have discussed this, Harry. We want to try and be your replacement Doms — it'll be temporary, mind you, but we figured it might be better for you to have us as your Doms for the time being Louis is … gone."

 _Gone,_ Harry laughed resentfully. Gone, indeed.

"We're not going to sign this contract _yet_ ," Zayn added. "As a matter of fact, we won't be signing it until you want to."

"So it's my choice?" Harry said slowly.

"Yes."

"I don't have to sign it?"

"No."

"What if I never sign it?"

"That's acceptable," Zayn replied professionally. "It's your choice, and your choice only."

"Besides, you gotta wait at least a week before signing contracts," Niall chirped from where he had been silently sitting and watching.

"I know," Harry said quietly. And he did know — it was what he and Louis had had to do, after all. "What if it doesn't work out?"

"Let's not think about all the possible 'what if's'," Zayn said gently. "They'll do more harm than good."

"Okay," Harry sighed, unsure of how to feel about the whole situation.

"Both sides can end the relationship whenever they want," Liam reminded reassuringly. "You won't be forced to do anything that you don't want to do."

"Yeah," Harry said dully.

There was a short, awkward silence until Zayn broke it. "So you agree to doing this?"

 _Well, I don't really have a choice_ , Harry thought bitterly. "Yeah. I'll try it out, at least."

"Good," Liam smiled.

"Can I pleeaaassee be the one to tell him the rules?" Niall begged with adorable puppy eyes. "We're gonna have the same rules, aren't we?"

"Same rules with exceptions to match your needs," Liam conceded, and the moment those words left the Dom's mouth, Niall jumped up and shrieked, "Harry, c'mon! Let's go!"

Glancing at the two Doms, who were looking half torn between stopping the excited Niall and letting them go. Before they could say anything, however, Harry stood up and followed Niall into a room — honestly, there were so many rooms in this damned house that it was possible to get lost!

"This is where I like to lounge," Niall told him very seriously, almost so serious that it was slightly funny. "I usually come here to think. It's like my second room."

Harry looked around the room with a small smile. It was interesting, and quite different from all the other rooms in the house. This room was filled with what looked like — or rather, was supposed to look like — clouds. There were four of the 'clouds' placed in the room. "Are those clouds?" he asked dumbly.

"No shit, Sherlock." Niall rolled his eyes and laid down on one with a smirk. "Zaynie got them for me. They were expensive, too. Amazingly comfortable, and it looks nice." Niall gave a dreamy sigh. "It was like love at first sight."

Harry scoffed, grinning at his friend's impishness. "You spoiled brat," Harry teased, Niall's bubbly mood affecting him — after all, everyone was helpless against being blue around Niall.

"Excuse me?" Niall gasped, sitting up, jokingly offended. "What did you just say?"

Before Harry could come up with a reply, the blond sub jumped on him, wrestling and ruffling his hair roughly, making Harry shriek and roll around. He swung his leg, and before he knew what was happening, his foot crashed against the small nightstand in the corner of the room.

The two boys watched in horror as the pale blue vase — Zayn's favourite, mind you — wobbled dangerously. "Shit," they both cursed, scrambling to get it before it fell. "Shit, shit, shit."

Thankfully, Niall caught it before it could hit the ground and shatter to pieces, but unfortunately for them, Liam chose to walk past them exactly at that moment.

"Boys!" the Dom exclaimed, sounding exasperated.

"Hi, Li," Niall said sheepishly, holding the vase in his hands. "Just having some fun."

"Fun," Liam repeated dryly. He stepped inside the room and took about five seconds to look around, as if trying to see if the two subs had done any other possible damage. The Dom gave them a look, saying sternly, "Behave. Or I'll get Zayn to watch you two and make sure you don't get into trouble."

"We won't," Niall assured.

Liam gave a small grunt of skepticism before walking out, making sure to leave the door open.

"Rule one," Niall began immediately, dragging a small board out from a corner of the room. The blond sub turned it over to the whiteboard side (the back was chalkboard). "Always show respect to everyone, which means our Doms, me, yourself — just everyone."

"Of course," Harry promised with a small smile. On and on went the rules, and surprisingly, Harry didn't get too bored. Not with Niall joking and prancing around happily. Niall's happiness was contagious, after all.

The rules seemed were not hard to follow; they were quite straightforward, in Harry's opinion. He was amused when Niall lectured him on the importance of honesty.

"Liam and Zayn will have your arse if you lie," Niall told him very seriously, making Harry quirk a small smile.

"I won't lie," the curly-haired sub promised with a chuckle.

"Good," Niall sniffed. "Or else I'll spank you too."

"You wouldn't dare!" Harry mock-gasped.

Niall stuck his tongue out and stated cheekily, "Just an excuse to see your arse."

Harry laughed. "I'd like to see you try, Horan!" he scoffed mockingly. "You wouldn't dare; I bet you can't even get in Zayn and Liam's pants!"

"Well, excuse you!" Niall gasped. "I sure can!"

"Do it, then," Harry smirked.

"You're on, Styles," Niall growled, spinning on his heel and flounced out.

Harry snickered. This would be fun.

When the two subs entered the living room, it seemed that the two Doms were arguing in a hushed tone.

"This'll work, Zayn!" Liam threw his hands up exasperatedly. "Why are you arguing on this matter with me?"

Zayn just glowered silently. "I just don't want to neglect—"

"Hi, babe," Liam interrupted with a tight smile, giving Zayn a warning look as Niall sauntered in, Harry trailing behind him.

"Hi, Daddy." Niall proceeded to smoothly sit down on Liam's lap, not-so-subtly grinding down on where Liam's cock was.

Liam made a small sound of surprise, but ironically made no move to stop the cheeky sub. "Ni," he chuckled. "What are you doing?"

Harry sniggered when Niall stated innocently, "Sitting on you."

"You're not being subtle at all," Zayn chuckled. "Babe, we know what you're trying to do."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Niall replied simply with a smile.

"Jesus," Liam groaned when Niall's actions became larger.

"Are you getting hard, Daddy?" Niall asked, pausing in his movements. "I can feel it." He reached over and nuzzled Liam's neck, planting a few kisses.

"You're a cheeky little thing," Liam grunted, grabbing Niall's hips with his hands firmly and pressing the sub's luscious bum down on his hardening cock. "You like pleasing me? Even in front of others, hmm?"

"Y-Yes," Niall gasped when Liam palmed at the front of his trousers while pressing Niall down on his own bulge.

Strangely, Harry wasn't feeling awkward at all watching the encounter — after all, he'd already watched them have sex before. It wasn't anything new. He shuffled back a bit, not wanting to disturb the trio.

 _You're part of it, now,_ a voice pointed out. _Go join them._

Harry scoffed. Join them? He wasn't sure if he wanted to, never mind joining them! He and Louis hadn't really ever done much sexual activity. Harry had wanked a few times alone in the shower (what else could he have done? He did get horny every once in a while!) and he was pretty sure Louis had done the same as well.

They had both just been too much of a coward to ask each other to partake in activities.

Harry shook himself from his thoughts, and turned his gaze back to the three others. He spluttered when he saw Niall, already on his knees, sucking Liam off while Zayn was watching, jacking himself off without any shame.

Harry had half a mind to go and join them, but what could he do? He didn't know anything, after all. He did, however, know that it would not be long until he had his own bulge press against the tent of his jeans.

"Mmmm," Liam groaned, running his hand through Niall's hair before yanking on it, making the blond sub moan as well. "Such a naughty boy," Liam growled, "getting me all hard. In front of Harry, too."

Harry flushed when he made eye contact with Niall, who was still sucking Liam off. He quickly averted his eyes and instead quickly drew his attention downwards, where his cock twitched.

"Mmph," Niall tried to say with his mouth still around Liam's cock.

Harry would've giggled at the funny image Niall was portraying, but he knew that it probably wouldn't be appreciated by the three others, who were _very_ busy in their tasks at the moment.

"Such a good boy," Liam crooned as Niall sucked him off. "I'm close, babe. You gonna swallow for me?"

Niall nodded as best he could with a cock in his mouth.

Harry stiffened when Liam finally came and Niall visibly swallowed without any hesitation. Zayn followed shortly afterwards, spilling into his own hand. Then, as if Harry wasn't hard enough already, Zayn lowered his hand to Niall and ordered, "Lap it up."

That was when Harry abruptly and as subtly as possible stood up and left the living room, heading immediately into the shower where he wouldn't be disturbed.

He stripped himself from his clothes, turned the hot water on and let it spray over his body. "Ungh," he moaned breathily as he jacked off. "L-Louiiisssss."

He imagined Louis fingering him, running gentle caresses over his body, their lips brushing against each other as they made out intimately.

 _"My good boy,"_ Louis would whisper. _"Mine."_

"Ungh! F-Fuck!" Harry came, exploding into his hand. He was breathless, panting, as the water ran down his back and down the drain. He shivered at the flashes of pleasure that rushed through his veins, and when they slowly ceased, he felt more fatigued than he'd ever felt.

This routine was taking a toll on him.

 _How much longer until I get what I really want?_ Harry thought to no one in particular. _How much longer do I have to suffer?_

There was no answer.

A day passed. Then another. And then another. The days passed on ruthlessly and continuously. Time went by fast. It had already been a week since Harry officially had Zayn and Liam as his replacement Doms.

Everything seemed to be fine, until it was not.

Over the past few days, he'd noticed a growing tension in between him and a certain blond sub. It was Niall causing all the trouble, really, in his opinion.

Everything had to go his way. Meals, what movie to watch, what to do during the day? All Niall's decisions.

It was unfair, honestly speaking, but Harry figured it really wasn't worth arguing. The sub was probably still trying to adjust to having to share his Doms, just as everyone was.

When they got into a fight over the remote control to the TV, it had finally crossed the line. They had to talk.

So there they were now, eating dinner silently, waiting for someone to speak up. It was eventually Zayn who spoke. "I think we're all very stressed lately," the dark-haired Dom mentioned as casually as he could, spooning another bite of spaghetti into his mouth. "So I was thinking we should all go camping! It'll help us get used to the … current situation, and hopefully relieve some stress."

Harry doubted it would actually help, but he just mutely nodded in agreement, eating silently.

Dinner continued to remain quiet after that.

The next morning, they were all packing for their camping trip. Harry wasn't planning to pack much; just all the essentials would make do. Niall, on the other hand, insisted on taking _everything_ he could think of, from his coloured pencil crayons to gum wrappers he'd found on the ground.

Eventually, Liam shooed him out, saying, "Oh, bugger! I'll pack for you, Ni, just go and occupy yourself."

Niall proceeded to run downstairs and take a seat next to Harry on the sofa. The blond sub grabbed the remote and flipped the channel from a movie that Harry had been watching to a football game.

"Dick," Harry muttered under his breath.

Unfortunately, the whispered word hadn't been as quiet as he'd intended. Niall flipped him off.

Harry didn't bother with a retort; he doubted it would make things better. Instead, he just huffed and went upstairs to double check if he'd packed everything for their camping trip. The trip would be three days, and Liam had already booked them a log cabin to reside at.

"Ready?" Zayn smiled, appearing in the doorway of his room.

"Yeah," Harry replied, picking up his suitcase. "I was just double-checking."

"Good lad."

It took them two hours to finally arrive at the camping site, and then another half an hour to find their cabin.

Niall was acting childishly, in Harry's opinion, flicking at his hair or poking him in the side as if he was trying to get a reaction out of him. Harry wouldn't give him the satisfaction of showing that he was irked, however. _He_ would at least behave like a mature adult, if Niall wasn't going to.

"Not bad," Zayn mused as they stepped into the cabin to store all of their belongings inside.

"We paid a bloody good amount for this," Liam said with a roll of his eyes. "It had better be 'not bad.'"

Niall giggled.

Zayn ignored his lover and instead tossed all of his stuff in. He straightened with a grin and announced, "Who wants to go fishing?"

The first day at the camping site was not bad at all, in Harry's opinion. The second day was even better. In fact, he made new friends called Aiden and Ethan. They were both subs; they all got along immediately. They all exchanged phone numbers. It quickly became evening. Aiden and Ethan had been trying to convince him to sit at the campfire with them for the past few hours.

"I'll ask," Harry said with a sigh. "Can't guarantee anything though, you little shites."

"Oi! Who's the shite, huh?" Aiden said, looking heavily offended.

"You are," Harry replied with a teasing roll of his eyes. "Now shut the hell up before I don't bother asking."

He trudged back to his cabin as it became darker and the moon began to rise in the sky.

"Harry, where've you been?" Liam confronted the moment he entered the cabin.

Harry jumped, not expecting to be spoken to immediately. He glanced at Liam and Zayn, who were on the couch watching TV. Niall was possessively cuddling them, and gave Harry a challenging look as if daring him to step any closer.

"It was getting darker, and Niall said that you'd gone to use the loo after canoeing. What took you so long?" Liam continued ruthlessly.

"Sorry," Harry mumbled with a chagrined sweep of his hand through his hair. "I wasn't going to take so long. I got caught up with Ethan and Aiden."

"Those two troublemaking lads?" Zayn inquired with a disapproving raise of his eyebrow.

"Yeah," Harry said, shuffling his feet, "and they're not troublemakers! We're friends!"

"They set poor old Tom's scarf on fire," Zayn scoffed. "You call that behaving?"

Niall cackled and Harry gave him a dirty look that said, ' _you aren't helping the situation here_ '. And he really wasn't. At all.

"Well, it was probably an accident," Harry answered defensively.

"They shouldn't be carrying matches or anything that could start a fire in the first place," Zayn retorted sternly. "Come sit here."

Harry obeyed, legs aching a little from walking and standing so much. He sat down and let out a soft sigh through his nose when Zayn soothingly raked his fingers through his curls.

"I wanted to ask if I could stay at the campfire with them." Harry approached the topic cautiously.

"With who?" Liam asked mindlessly.

Harry barely held back a huff of frustration. "Aiden and Ethan?" he supplied impatiently. "They're waiting for me."

"Not sure it's a good idea," Zayn said thoughtfully, tearing away his gaze from the TV screen to Harry's pleading green eyes. "Don't know what other trouble they'll get into."

"They're not that bad!" Harry said, exasperated.

"You don't know that," Zayn rebuked. "And watch your tone, please."

Harry groaned. "Please?" he begged. "Just this once, can't I do something that I want?"

Silence.

"I barely get the chance to go and meet friends, I barely talk to anyone anymore because you and Liam are busy and Niall's always watching the television! Can't I go outside and have some sort of a social life?" Harry complained, playing with a loose strand on the carpet. "Louis' also gone now. There's literally nothing I can do," he said, lowering his voice, upset.

Liam sighed, and Harry saw them exchange glances. "Just this once," Liam sighed, ignoring the disagreeing look Zayn had on his face. "Go on. Don't stay out too late, or you won't be able to get up tomorrow. We're leaving early, remember?"

"Yeah, I know," Harry said, standing up. He gave Liam a kiss on the cheek, as well as Zayn, to show his thankfulness, purposefully ignoring the death glare Niall gave him. "Thank you!" He spun around and bounded towards the door excitedly.

"Ah, ah, ah!"

Harry groaned at Zayn's sharp tone, and turned around. He _knew_ there was a catch.

"You're taking Niall with you," Zayn said sternly, and pointed a finger at him. "I don't want you out there alone. No arguments. It's final."

Harry sighed, deciding that it was the best he could get, and peevishly waited for Niall to pull his coat on. "Let's go," he said, and hauled Niall out before he could give a snarky response.

"Where are we going?" Niall huffed, jogging alongside Harry.

"To Aiden and Ethan," Harry responded. "They're nice, don't worry."

Niall didn't give a response.

"Hey, mate! You made it!" Ethan grinned.

"Yeah," Harry chuckled. "This is Niall. Niall, this is—"

"I know who they are," Niall interrupted, eyeing the two other subs. "We've talked enough shit about them to know who they are."

Aiden's eyebrows raised up, and Harry's temper peaked. "Sorry about that," he said lowly through gritted teeth to Aiden and Ethan. "Don't know what's up with him." He jabbed a thumb over his shoulder.

"'s fine." Ethan waved a hand dismissively. "Ready to chill for the night?"

"Definitely," Harry grinned, dimples popping out.

"Awww, you're such a cutie," Aiden cooed, and Harry slapped his hands away.

"Dick," he muttered good-naturedly.

"What about you, little Irishman?" Ethan smirked. "You gonna chicken out, or stay with us?"

Niall just huffed.

The four arrived at the campfire. "No one else is here," Aiden observed. "Strange. It's usually pretty busy."

"Ah, whatever." Ethan waved him off. "It just means we have more of a chance of not getting caught. You _know_ that our Doms will have our heads if we do it again."

"Do what again?" Harry asked tentatively, suddenly getting a bad vibe.

"This." Ethan grinned and pulled out three cigarettes from his back pocket.

Harry gaped. "T-That's a cig," he stuttered.

Aiden rolled his eyes. "Good observation, cutie," he snickered. "Even a blind man could see that."

"Oh, shut up," Harry huffed and crossed his arms. He eyed the cigarettes. There were three, which could only mean …

"Here ya go." Ethan tossed him a cigarette, which Harry barely managed to catch. "Go on," he grinned and tossed him a lighter. "What're you waiting for?"

Harry just stared at the cig and the lighter, now in his hands.

"Are you really going to?" Niall asked, voice low and aghast. "Harry, you can't."

"Oi, you want one too, blondie?" Aiden slapped a cigarette into Niall's hand. "Go on, then."

Niall dropped it like it was on fire, a look of disgust on his face. "No way," he spat. "I ain't sticking that in my mouth. You can bugger off!" He spun on his heel and stomped away.

"His loss," Ethan shrugged. "Well, Harry? Don't disappoint!"

Harry handed the lighter to Aiden, saying, "You go first." He still was undecided.

On the other hand, Aiden was _very_ ready. He lit up the roll-up and brought it to his mouth. Harry watched in disbelief as Ethan did the same, both unruly boys puffing the joint. Ethan cocked a grin at him. "Don't know why you're hesitating," he chuckled, taking another drag. "It's bloody amazing."

"Is that so?"

The three boys jumped, Harry dropping the unlit cigarette to the ground in surprise. In front of him were two men, older than them. They both had wide stances, arms crossed, and stern features written across their faces — never a good sign.

"What's that in your hand, Ethan?" one of the men prompted with a cock of his eyebrow. "Go on, don't be shy. Show me."

 _Uh-oh_. Harry grimaced, already knowing what was coming.

"I, uh, Sir, it's nothing," Ethan stammered.

The man raised an eyebrow. "If it's nothing, then why are you hiding it? Surely it wouldn't be," the man lowered his voice, "a cigarette?"

Ethan turned even more shame-faced, if possible.

"Back to the cabin," the other man barked, voice gruff. He jabbed his thumb over his shoulder towards one of the log cabins. "In your positions."

"Yes, Sir," the two rowdy boys whispered, handing their supposed Doms the cigarettes before rushing off, leaving Harry standing there awkwardly, unsure of what to do.

"Who're you?"

Harry jumped. "Um, Harry, Sir," he stammered. "I, uh—"

"Which cabin are you?"

"Cabin 12," Harry answered softly.

"Come on, then. We'll take you there. It's getting late."

"Thank you," Harry whispered, dreading what Liam and Zayn would say about this matter. Perhaps they wouldn't suspect a thing? Unless Niall had told them already.

They arrived shortly at his cabin and Harry turned around. "Thank you for coming with me here."

"No worries," was the reply before the two men left.

Harry entered the cabin, and was immediately met with a sharp growl of, "Harry Edward Styles."

Harry froze.

Zayn stalked towards him, expressions stern. "What's this I hear about you smoking a blunt?"

"A cigarette," Niall corrected.

Harry glowered at him darkly when the blond sub looked smug. _Smartass,_ Harry thought irately.

"I didn't actually smoke it!" Harry said weakly, defensively. "They tried to get me to, but I didn't, I swear!"

Zayn inhaled sharply for a few seconds and Harry wondered what he was doing until he realized that the dark-haired Dom was trying to catch a possible whiff of cigarette smell on him.

"I really didn't!"

"Well, I'm glad you made the right choice," Liam said, interrupting, "but you assured us that you wouldn't get into trouble and that they were good people. Not people who do drugs or activities like that. And if Niall hadn't told us what happened? Would you just have pretended that nothing had happened?"

Harry scowled. "I wouldn't have gotten into trouble if it weren't for that bloody bastard," he muttered under his breath, shooting Niall a fierce glare.

"Harry," Liam sighed. "How are we supposed to trust you if you act like this?"

It was the last little nudge to his pending explosion.

"It's not my bloody fault!" Harry yelled, throwing his coat to the ground and breathing heavily. "How was I supposed to know they would give me a bloody cigarette? I didn't even smoke it! I only held it!"

"Holding it is bad enough," Zayn began.

"Oh yeah, and it's totally not like you don't fuckin' smoke," Harry sneered. "And I hope you do realize that Niall also held it — at least for five seconds, he held it. So why am I the one in trouble?"

"Because it's your fault," Niall said smugly.

Harry gaped for a good few seconds before he snarled. "You're a little twat, you piece of shite!" he spat, pulling back his arm to land a good punch on Niall's face.

"Harry! Enough!" Liam exclaimed, grabbing him and strongly yanking him back. "Go to your room! Now!"

"Fuck you!" Harry shouted, before doing as told, spinning on his heel and storming up the wooden stairs. He slammed his door shut, not even caring if something shattered by the force of it.

He collapsed on his bed and began to sob full-heartedly, shoulders shaking with each struggling breath he took.

"Nothing ever turns out right anymore," he choked. "L-Louis fucking leaves, I fucking get into trouble, and I'm not even trying to act like this! Niall's being a bloody little twat, and I'm the one who still gets blamed!"

He brought his knees up to his chest, wrapped his arms around them, and began to weep his aching heart out.

"I need you, Louis," he whimpered, voice cracking. "Please."

The response was silence, as always.

The next day, they all woke up at 6 in the morning, and packed up to go back home. All in all, the camping trip had been quite successful for everyone _except Harry_.

It seemed like the tension between Niall and Harry got even worse. The two subs continuously argued and sneered at each other in the car. They argued about what the speed limit was currently, about whether golf or football was better, about who was taller, about whose hair was better looking. They even argued about a small bird that had passed their car window.

"It's a bloody sparrow, I'm tellin' you!" Niall exclaimed, slamming a fist down onto the seat.

"It's a robin!" Harry huffed. "Honestly, you're a stupid arse."

"Boys!" Zayn interrupted, massaging his forehead, trying to prevent his impending headache from worsening. "Please. Hush. We have an hour left."

The two boys silenced, though they gave each other dirty looks nonstop for the next hour.

They waded through the crowd of yelling paparazzi. They seemed to be particularly worse today, screaming out rude and blunt things.

They finally got home, in which all four boys proceeded to collapse and take a three hour nap. When they woke up, it was dinnertime, but they had no ingredients, so they just ordered in. It went by without too much fuss, thankfully.

It wasn't until after dinner when it happened.

"Harry."

Harry looked up when the two Doms approached him and Niall.

"We need to talk," Liam said softly.

Harry gulped and he couldn't help but exchange a glance with Niall. This couldn't be good. "About what?" Harry asked slowly.

A few seconds of silence passed before Zayn stated, "This isn't going to work out."


	21. Chapter 21

**WARNINGS FOR THE CHAPTER: slight mention of handjob, mention of cock ring, mention of orgasm denial, blood withdrawal for a blood test (medical procedure), slight angst.**

 **The idea in a certain section of this chapter was taken from the book 'Divergent' by Veronica Roth, but there's no intention of copying it. No plagiarism is intended. No copyright infringement is intended.**

* * *

Harry blanched, aghast. "No!" he stuttered. "I-I'll behave! Promise! Just, please, don't kick me out!" He was close to spilling tears.

"We can compromise," Liam soothed, "and we're not kicking you out, Curls. We love you too much to do that."

Harry sniffled. "What compromise?" he whispered.

"There's something called a 'Foster Dom'," Zayn said, expression unreadable. "It's like a temporary Dom. You'll get matched, and you and your match will have a contract of Dom/sub for every two months. Both the Dom and the sub can end the contract whenever they want, as long as it's for a valid reason. The Dom will take care of you for as much time Louis is gone, and in return, you'll give your Foster Dom the gift of your submission."

Harry's bottom lip trembled. "W-What if the Dom isn't nice?" he whispered, voice cracking.

"He will be," Liam promised grimly. "You'll get only the best; I'll make sure of it."

Harry frowned, unsure, but he gave a small nod. It wasn't like he'd been expecting anything else, either way. He had known that this would happen eventually — Niall's jealousy issues got too bad, and he didn't know how long he would've lasted either without hating on the other sub.

He made a move to get up and head up to his room, defeated, when Zayn placed a hand on his knee, preventing him from doing so. "You're going through a lot of hard times right now," the Dom said gently, voice genuinely apologetic. "We tried to help, but we've made it worse."

"No, it's okay," Harry answered dully — what else could he say?

"No, it's really not," Liam replied, exchanging a sad look with the dark-haired Dom. "We tried to make you happy, but we failed."

"It's really alright," Harry assured, seeing the genuine pain in the two Doms' eyes. "I understand. Sometimes you try out things but they don't always work out the way you wanted them to." When he saw how unsure the two Doms looked, he said, "Really, I'm fine. It'll just be like a new start for me."

And that was that.

So that was how the next day, Harry was taken to the ADS building to take a matching test. Niall had not been allowed to come along, after Liam and Zayn had found out what had happened in between the two subs.

"You're to not speak until we give you permission," Zayn had said, steadily stroking Niall's cock, ignoring the fact that Niall was making pitiful noises when he was denied release because of the cock ring around the base of his cock. "You also won't come for a week. What do you think? Do you think it'll be fitting for your crimes?"

There was only been one answer to that question.

* * *

Harry was nervous, really. He had been nervous as well before being matched to Louis.

"You'll be fine," Liam promised him, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. "We'll only have you matched with the best Foster Dom, I promise."

The two Doms had explained what would happen in depth during the car ride and Harry had listened intently, wanting to do things right. They had explained what exactly a Foster Dom was — a Dom who was willing to care for submissives for an undecided amount of time. Then they had explained how the matching would work. It would work a little differently than the regular matching system, because, after all, that had been for permanent Doms, not Fosters.

They were currently in a waiting room. Zayn was flipping through a magazine while Liam was on his phone, typing out an email. Harry was just sitting there, wiping his sweaty palms nervously on his pants every once awhile. They were getting a few odd looks, because, after all, it wasn't every day that people could see the two CEO's of the ADS sitting in the waiting room.

"Harry Styles?"

Harry stood up, giving an unsure look to Liam. The brown-eyed Dom and gave him a reassuring smile. "You'll be fine," he soothed.

Harry swallowed and nodded before heading into the doctor's room. It was a law that he had to get tested before going to get a new Dom, although he knew that there would be no problems since he and Louis had never done anything together.

The doctor was very kind to him, smiling and polite. He seemed to be a sub, which did help Harry relax as well. He knew it was offensive and rude to be scared of having a Dom as a doctor, but you never knew what could happen when a submissive was alone with a Dom.

"You're very healthy," the doctor, Dr. Beggings, stated with a smile. "That's very good. Average height and weight, everything's excellent. We're just going to have to do the STI exam now. Nothing to worry about, yeah?"

Harry grimaced as his blood was drawn, wincing. He had never been too good with seeing blood, especially his own.

The doctor took the withdrawn blood, and then said, not unkindly, "I need a urine sample as well, just to be sure. Also, I would usually take a swab of your anus as well, but you are a virgin, so I don't think that's necessary."

Harry blushed at the blunt words. "I thought I didn't really need a STI check, then, if I'm a virgin?" he asked, unable to stop his curiosity.

"No, it's not necessary if your virginity hasn't been taken yet. However, Mr. Payne and Mr. Malik stated before that it's necessary for proof to your partner."

"Oh." Harry watched as the doctor stood up and fumbled with a few papers after handing the samples to a nurse.

"We're going to take a test now, to attempt to find your new match." Dr. Beggings picked up a small package of papers. "Try to be honest, even if the questions are embarrassing. It's to help find your Foster Dom, and you don't want to be mismatched."

Harry nodded and licked his dry lips, nervously waiting. For what seemed like the hundredth time, he desperately wished that Louis was here with him. He missed the blue-eyed Dom so much, no matter how problematic their relationship had been. He could only hope that Louis would be strong enough to pull through quickly.

"What do you look for most in a Dominant?"

Dr. Beggings' question made Harry jerk out of his thoughts. He started, blinking rapidly as he tried to come up with an answer.

"Remember, there's no wrong answer," the doctor reminded him.

"I guess anyone who can care for me and provide me with proper structure," Harry answered dubiously, watching as Dr. Beggings scribbled something down.

"On a scale of one to ten, one being lowest and ten being highest, how strict would you want your Foster Dom to be?"

"Er …" Harry frowned, finding the question difficult to answer. "I dunno, like a 6 or 7? I'm not really sure," he confessed.

The doctor gave a small nod and jotted something down once more. "How submissive are you?"

"Pretty submissive, if the person can make me feel that way," Harry admitted, biting his lip nervously.

Louis had always managed to put him in that safe, happy place, he thought, heart aching at the thought. He did genuinely miss the Dom, even though he knew that it hadn't been working out. No matter, the Dom would come back … right? He couldn't help but have his uncertainties. What if Louis decided that he didn't want Harry anymore?

"…ry? Harry!"

Harry jumped, then bit his lip. "Sorry," he said quietly when he realized that he had zoned out mid-conversation with the doctor.

"It's no worry," Dr. Beggings assured. "Everyone gets lost in their thoughts at one point in their lives."

Harry gave a small smile.

"Were you thinking about anything in particular?" he questioned. "Anything related to … Louis? Your former Dom?"

Harry inhaled sharply. "Uh, actually, yes," he admitted again. "Couldn't help myself."

Dr. Beggings wrote something down on his clipboard. "Do you think about him often?"

"I do," Harry replied. "Can't really help it, I suppose."

"And do you think that having a Foster Dom will help you relax and heal more?"

Harry paused, thinking hard about the question. Did he really think so? Of course, it was by law that he _had_ to have a Dom, but would it really help him? "I … I think so, yes, to some extent," he said finally, though he was still a little hesitant about his answer. "It might definitely distract me from my thoughts, but I'm not sure if it'll ever make me forget about him." He winced at the word — he knew for sure that he wouldn't forget about Louis. Who could?

Dr. Beggings gave a nod and said, "Alright, Harry. We just need you to step into a different room now so we can do the main testing procedure."

"This last part was never my favourite," Harry commented wryly, and Dr. Beggings smiled sympathetically.

"I know, most people don't enjoy it — especially subs, since they have to make big decisions. However, it's necessary."

Harry wondered if that really was supposed to make him feel better about this whole situation, but he didn't comment on it. Louis wouldn't have been happy with him for being rude with others.

And there, it had happened again! His thoughts always led to Louis, although … he couldn't really help it.

He sat down in the chair when indicated to do so, remembering the first time he'd had to do this. It had been nerve-wracking; he had been drenched in sweat the entire time.

"I presume you know what exactly is going to happen?" the lady in front of the machine inquired, typing a few things into the keyboard attached to it.

"Yes, I do," Harry responded.

"By procedure, we have to explain what's going to happen anyway," Dr. Beggings explained to him. "We're going to attach these to you. You'll fall into a headspace, kind of like falling asleep, and you'll be forced to make a series of decisions. This test is to determine whether you're a sub or a Dom, and to help increase the chances of meeting your match."

"I understand," Harry assured. "I know how this goes." He allowed the doctor to connect the wires to the sides of his neck, his arms, and his face. He was pretty sure he looked ridiculous, but oh well. It wasn't like he had a choice anyway.

"You'll feel a little dizzy, but not majorly. Just close your eyes and try to go to sleep," the lady told his kindly as she started up the machine.

Harry obediently shuffled in his seat, getting comfortable, and sure enough, he felt a little more light-headed as seconds passed by. _No use in making myself suffer_ , he thought dryly. _Might as well close my eyes._ His head throbbed a little, but it wasn't too bad so he didn't complain.

"Good."

Dr. Beggings' voice scared him a little. Harry stiffened, startled.

"It's alright," the doctor soothed. "Relax. I need you to start counting down from ten to one, Harry. Can you do that for me?"

Harry nodded, his movements slowing down a bit. "Ten," he croaked. "Nine. Eight. Seven …" He made it all the way to three before his vision went black.

 _He was floating — well, it felt like he was. His thought was contradicted when he looked down to find that his feet were still firmly rooted to the ground. He frowned, not sure if he should be disappointed or not. Floating would have been fun._

 _He lifted his head and looked around, taking in his surroundings. What was he even supposed to do? When he had first taken this test, it had been pretty straightforward, much different from this time._

 _This time, he could only see blank white walls surrounding him. He squinted, trying to see if he had missed anything, and was delighted to find that a small, square-framed glass table was in the middle of the … room?_

 _He stepped forward, then stumbled a little. Harry looked back with a frown. What was pulling him back? His frown grew when he saw that it was a rope, a thick rope, that was encircled around his ankle and holding him back. He tugged, but winced at the cutting pain that occurred as a result of his actions._

 _"Harry," he heard, the voice echoing, and he jumped._

 _"Yes?" he said, voice shrilled in slight apprehension._

 _"It's Dr. Beggings. You don't need to be worried. Something is mentally blocking you from heading towards the table. Break through it. Fight it."_

 _Harry licked his dry lips, and glared down at the rope around his ankle. He had to get to the table._ _He growled and yanked, but the rope was held tight. He struggled for a while, until he paused with a huff, exhausted. He knew he needed to get to that table, or he would never be able to move forward from the past. So, one last time, he straightened up, and with all his might and heart, he took a step forward._

 _He was delighted when he was successful, the rope falling back, unwrapping from around his ankle. He darted forward, feeling a rush of adrenaline._

 _He felt free._

 _He arrived at the glass table shortly, but was puzzled by what he found._

 _A kitchen knife, a stick, and two rubber duckies were placed in the middle, all arranged neatly. He reached out for the knife, then hesitated and went for the rubber ducky, wondering if he was making a bad choice._

 _The moment his fingers brushed one of the rubber ducks, the other two items disappeared, out of sight._ Great, _Harry thought. Now he was only left with rubber duck — a squeaky toy. How was this supposed to help him?_

 _He heard a low, deep growl, filled with a dangerous timbre. Heart beating rapidly in fear, he turned around … face to face with a big, snarling dog. Harry gaped before slowly backing up. "Good puppy?" he said hesitantly._

 _The dog snarled._

 _Harry grimaced. Then he realized that he was still holding the two rubber ducks, and was about to toss them away when he realized … he was supposed to use it to help him! "Hey, puppy," he said soothingly, wincing again when the large dog still snarled at him. "Want this? Go fetch!" He tossed the toy, far away from him, and watched in satisfaction when the dog chased after it._

 _The dog shortly faded into the distance after that, leaving Harry standing there with only one rubber ducky. He frowned, not exactly sure of what he was supposed to do next, when he heard a loud yell._

 _"Freeze right there!" a voice boomed, and Harry jumped, dropping the rubber ducky._

 _He heard it emit a small squeak when it fell to the ground, but he didn't look at it. Instead, he was too busy trying to figure out what to do next._

 _"Harry," a voice came again — Dr. Beggings'. "Stop trying to calculate everything. Just let things happen. Trust your instincts."_

 _Harry rolled his eyes._ Easier said than done, _he thought, but didn't comment on it._

 _He had been too lost in his thoughts, so it was a shock to him when he felt strong, cold hands grab his wrists. "What the—" He struggled to get out, and surprisingly, succeeded. He stumbled forward but managed to catch himself. "What the hell?" he huffed angrily, and spun around._

 _"Hands up in the air!" the cop barked, one hand on his gun, the other hand pointed threateningly at Harry._

 _"I … what?" Harry spluttered, though he did slowly raise his hands. "I didn't do anything!" he said defensively when the cop approached him slowly._

 _"Oh ho, you didn't do anything?" he let out a bark of laughter. "Why don't you look at what you've dropped, ye little rascal?"_

 _Harry, still confused, he looked down at his feet and was astonished to find that there was a not-too-small pile of what seemed to be gold. "I didn't do anything!" he said again, taken aback with what was going on._

 _"You stole," the cop growled. "You stole gold. I'm afraid I'm going to have to arrest you now; that kind of behaviour is not acceptable. Please hold out your arms."_

 _"What?" Harry spluttered. "No!"_

 _The cop lunged forward, and without even thinking, Harry swung a fist forward._

 _His fist went straight through the cop's nose, and the cop disappeared into a cloud of mist. Harry stumbled forward, his balance lost, and fell forward, face-planting in a not-so-dignified way._

 _He groaned, rubbing his face, and opened his eyes to find that emerald green eyes were staring back at him. He yelped, surprised at first, but then let out a wry laugh when he realized it was his own face. He was facing a mirror, that's what he was doing._

 _He stood up, grimacing, and cracked his knuckles with a sigh of satisfaction. He looked around, trying to take in his surroundings for what seemed like the hundredth time. Mirrors were surrounding him, enclosing him, almost._

 _They all had different intentions, too, it seemed. Some of the mirrors made his middle — his stomach — wide and wavy, while another mirror made him tall and extremely skinny in a stick shape. He laughed, finding it funny, especially when he peered into a mirror which made his nose giant._

 _He reached out to touch it, and found that his hand went right through it. Grinning at the fact that his nose was still the size of an apple, he shoved both arms through the mirror, giving him a tingling sensation in his limbs. Then he stepped right through it, and he fell._

 _Falling, falling, falling …_

Harry's eyes snapped open with a gasp. His face was beaded with sweat, and he wiped his forehead with his sleeve. He was breathing heavily, adrenaline still coursing through his veins.

"You did very well, you know."

Harry turned to see Dr. Beggings, who was now detaching the wires stuck to his body. "Did I?" he said doubtfully.

The doctor nodded. "Better than most people do."

"That's good, then, I guess," Harry said. He stretched and winced when he heard several cracks in his back.

Dr. Beggings smiled sympathetically. "You were wound up pretty tight. Not surprising, though."

Harry watched the doctor head back to the laptop after detaching all the wires. "What was the rope?" he questioned, wiping sweat off of his forehead.

"Something that prevents you from getting somewhere — the rope that was holding you back, in your situation — represents how well you can overcome mental blockades," Dr. Beggings answered, squinting as he typed something into the laptop. "I'd say the rope was thoughts of Louis, maybe? They're contradicting your subconscious need for a Dom while Louis is gone, after all."

"The dog, then?" Harry asked again, unable to tame his curiosity.

"Just a method of seeing how fast and good you are at making decisions," the doctor responded. "The mirrors were to see how playful you are, and the police to see how obedient you can be."

"Oh." Harry frowned. He hadn't exactly obeyed the cops' orders. Did that mean he was a bad sub?

As if sensing the uncertain look on Harry's face, the doctor gave him a small smile and said, "Don't worry about it, Harry. It's just to see what kind of a Dom you need. Not following orders doesn't mean that you're a bad or inexperienced submissive, it just tells us what kind of a Dom you really need — very strict or lenient."

Harry made a small sound, unsure of what to say, but thankfully he didn't need to, for the doctor stood up and said, "I'll be back with your results in a few minutes."

Harry sighed and watched the doctor leave. He got himself a glass of water, his mouth dry from being so nervous. The cold water felt amazing on his tongue. He tossed the plastic cup away and seated himself again, tapping his fingers on his knee as he waited.

When about fifteen minutes or so had passed by, the doctor returned with several papers in his hand.

Harry nibbled on his bottom lip, anxious for his results.

"So, I've got your results from the test," Dr. Beggings said, sitting down in front of him. He tapped the first section on the paper. "Your results say that you're capable of making decisions yourself, but you tend to overthink things, which leads you to the thought that what you've decided is wrong. You're not disobedient, but you're not completely obedient either. If you think something is wrong or unfair, then you'll stick with it."

"So basically, I'm stubborn?" Harry asked jokingly with a smile.

Dr. Beggings laughed. "I suppose so, if you want to put it that way," he teased. "You're also quite playful, so you wouldn't mind if your Foster Dom is just as playful. Little banters here and there with your Foster Dom would probably help you relax. And finally, the rope, like I explained before, was a mental blockade. You overcame it well, but it might come back, so having a Dom who can help you with that will definitely help you fare as a sub."

"So then you know what kind of a Dom is right for me?" Harry asked.

The doctor gave a nod, flipping to another page. "You'd feel the happiest if you have a Dom who isn't too strict, but they aren't exactly gentle or lenient either. I think in between strict and lenient, really — strict if they need to be, but not 24/7. Your submissive instincts want you to have a firm presence of a Dom around you."

"Okay." Harry nodded, becoming more and more worried. What if there was no match for him? Then what would happen?

"You need proper structure more than anything, really. That's what you're subconsciously craving the most."

"So, my match?" Harry asked, heart racing even faster as Dr. Beggings flipped the page once more.

"Right," the doctor said. "Your match."

Harry's blood ran cold.


	22. Chapter 22

**WARNINGS FOR THE CHAPTER: Mention of kink negotiation, talk of sexual activity, mention of blowjobs, mention of handjobs, mention of pet play, mention of ageplay, fluff, a bit of angst, harsh words directed toward subs, mention of too much alcohol consumption, mention of collaring/leashing of subs, mention of illegal sub auction, and slight mentions of objectification (kind of?).**

 **A/N: I just realized I haven't been doing a very good job at updating this fic on this website, so sorry about that! I wonder if anyone is still reading it on here ... I've also posted a new fic called "Only His" on here too, so check it out if you like my fics! x**

* * *

"No," Harry said immediately. "No."

Dr. Beggings gave him a slightly puzzled look. "Yes, Harry, this is your Dom. Nick Grimshaw—"

"No," Harry interrupted. "Please. There has to be someone else."

"Is there a problem?" Dr. Beggings inquired.

"I … Nick and I didn't have the best relationship in school when we were younger," Harry said. "To put it shortly."

"He was the best match for you," Dr. Beggings told him gently. "Most people mature as they grow older, Harry. I'm sure he's a much better person now than he was before."

"Some don't change," Harry muttered under his breath.

"Give it a try," Dr. Beggings suggested. "After talking with him, see if you really don't like him. Then we can switch Mr. Grimshaw out with another Dom, the second one on the list."

"Fine," Harry sighed.

"I'm only suggesting this to you because you and Mr. Grimshaw are very compatible."

"I know," Harry answered. "What time will he be here?"

"We've just contacted him, and he says he'll be in front of the building in about half an hour," the doctor responded. "You can stay in the waiting room."

"Alright." Harry stood up. "Thank you."

He headed out to the waiting room and sat, pulling out his phone to look at the time. It was 2 o'clock in the afternoon.

"How did it go?" Zayn asked him immediately.

"It was great," Harry replied smoothly.

"Did you find out who your Foster Dom will be?" Liam inquired, looking concerned for him. "Only the best for you, yeah? Did you get a good Dom?"

"Yeah." Harry smiled, hoping it didn't look forced. "Nick Grimshaw. He sounds great for me," he lied, not wanting to hurt the two men's feelings — they did, after all, only want the best for him, especially since they felt badly about how things were turning out. Harry didn't want to sound pessimistic or make them feel even worse about themselves.

"That's great to hear." Zayn and Liam exchanged glances.

Harry smiled, but it quickly disappeared with a grimace when a few flashes blinded him. "Fucking paps," he muttered under his breath.

Liam must have caught what he had said, because he stood up and declared to Zayn, "I'm going to ask the receptionist if there's an empty room we can wait in. The paps aren't helping Harry's nerves at all."

"Thanks," Harry smiled, watching Liam head off.

Luckily for them, they got moved to another, more private room.

"Thanks," Harry said quietly. "Sometimes the paps get too overwhelming."

"Completely understandable." Liam waved it off. "Combined with the paps in your face and nerves for your Foster Dom, you were probably feeling anxious."

Harry mostly fiddled on his phone, playing a game, as he waited for it to become two thirty so that he could go and meet Nick, which brought him to the topic of his troubling thoughts.

Nick Grimshaw, his number one bully at school, verbally and physically, always putting him down. How would he have changed?

Harry wiped his sweaty palms on his jeans nervously. It was two twenty, which meant he had ten minutes until he had to go and meet Nick. He wondered if Nick had even changed at all. What if he was still the jerk he had been at school?

 _No,_ he told himself firmly. _There's no way Liam or Zayn or even Dr. Beggings would allow that. This is supposed to be a chance for me to heal, not get even more hurt._

"Harry, it's time." Zayn's voice broke his chain of thoughts.

Harry started. "Yeah? Um, okay." He stood up nervously, biting his bottom lip anxiously. "Do you … do you think he'll be good?"

"The best," Liam promised. "Come on, we'll take you to him."

Normally, Harry would have been petulant for being treated like a little child who couldn't make his own decisions, but he knew that this time Liam and Zayn only meant good for him. Besides, having some feeling of security would be helpful, especially since he was meeting his childhood bully — who was now his Foster Dom.

 _Wow,_ Harry thought. _That's fucked up._

Hopefully Nick wouldn't be as fucked up as his life was so far.

His breathing hitched when sure enough, he saw Nick sitting in a chair in the waiting room, twiddling his thumbs as he waited.

The man looked a little different - he was now older, obviously, but there was a different light in his eyes. He looked more mature and responsible. He had a bit of stubble on his chin.

 _Huh,_ Harry thought skeptically. _The pussy finally grew some facial hair._

Although he didn't know Nick now, he had known him in the past as a completely and utter dickhead.

Harry stopped in front of Nick, and the Dom looked up.

"Harry?" Nick smiled.

"Hi," Harry said awkwardly, not sure of what to say.

Nick's smile grew. "It's great to see you," he said kindly, "and — wow! Mr. Payne and Mr. Malik! Nick Grimshaw; I'm pleased to meet you."

"Good afternoon," Zayn greeted professionally, sticking out a hand and shaking it with Nick. "Little Curly here was under our wing for a while. Mr. Grimshaw, I expect you to take good care of him, or else—"

"I assure you, Mr. Malik, I will," Nick assured. "I'm not going to do anything out of Harry's comfort zone."

 _How reassuring,_ Harry thought as he eyed Nick skeptically. He could never be too sure of the man, especially considering their relationship in the past.

"Great to hear." Zayn smiled. "And just 'Zayn' and 'Liam' is fine, Mr. Grimshaw."

"Then just 'Nick' will be good enough, Zayn." Nick smiled. He turned to Harry with that friendly smile of his. "Harry, would you like to linger here for a little longer? Or, I found a very nice café near us, if you'd prefer to go there and talk about what's going to happen between us now."

Harry just stared at him silently, not exactly sure himself on what he wanted. Nick confused him — _could_ he trust him?

"If it makes you feel better, we can stay here," Nick assured. "Whatever you'd prefer."

"Uh," Harry said hesitantly. "I, um, the café, I guess."

"Will you be okay?" Liam murmured into his ear. "Don't push yourself into doing anything, Haz."

"I'm okay," Harry said firmly. "I'd like to go to the café, please."

"The café it is," Nick agreed smoothly. "We'll return whenever you'd like to."

Harry waved silently to Zayn and Liam and allowed Nick to walk him outside. The cool air hit his face, his hair ruffling a bit from the wind. He sighed contentedly. He had always enjoyed the fresh air.

"How have you been doing?" Nick asked, obviously attempting to make conversation as they made their way to the café.

"I've been fine," Harry answered shortly, watching two kids run around the park. They seemed to be playing a game of tag, and he had a sudden temptation to run around as well, but he knew he couldn't just go running off — he would look crazy.

"I've been doing well, too," Nick continued on cheerfully. "Been going to a lot of Dom schools, meeting new people, getting advice, you know. All those things."

 _No one asked,_ Harry thought inwardly, but didn't dare say it out loud. He just said, "Oh," not wanting to sound overly rude — even though he _was_ being rude. He had a reason to be rude though, right? _Once a dickhead, always a dickhead._

They arrived at the café shortly, and Nick ordered them tea and a piece of cake each. "I reckon you're not much for small talk," Nick said eventually when Harry wouldn't respond much to his conversation. "So let's get straight to the point. I know that for personal issues, Louis is temporarily gone. The law states that you, Harry, as a submissive, must have a Dom. I'm here to fulfill that role until Louis returns."

"I already know," Harry snipped.

Nick let out a sigh. "Harry," he said, tone not unkind but firm. "I understand that with our past, we don't exactly have the best … relationship."

Harry just stared at him blankly.

"You know what I'm talking about," Nick continued, looking heavy. "Harry, I was young and foolish — I still am, obviously. There are lots to learn. But I'm not ever going to put you down like I did before. I'm never going to insult you, humiliate you or do _anything_ that'll make you feel upset or uncomfortable."

"How do I know what you're saying is true?" Harry snarked, glowering at the table that was between them. "You were a complete arse. You bullied me every day. This is your chance. I'm back; I'm under your responsibility now. It's your perfect opportunity to once again abuse me, bully me, and hurt me."

"Yes," Nick said. "An opportunity that I won't take." The Dom leaned forward, but paused in what he was about to say when the waiter came and set their tea and slices of cake in front of them. "I was young. I was arrogant. I was stupid." He looked intensely serious. Maybe that was what made Harry intently listen instead of tuning him out. "I'm not going to make the same mistakes again, Harry. I know what being a Dom means — it's not a right, it's a privilege and an honour. I've matured, Harry. I'm not the same."

Harry stared at the dark-haired Dom uncertainly. He wanted to believe Nick, he really did. But … was he willing to risk it? He had suffered enough — all he wanted was to be happy. _Nick can make you happy if you give him a chance,_ a small voice chided.

 _One chance might be a good opportunity for him to hurt me again,_ Harry argued inwardly.

 _But that one chance might also be an opportunity for happiness. Isn't that what you want?_ the voice pointed out.

Harry stared at the dark brown wood of the table for a few more moments before he slowly said, "Okay."

Nick's face brightened and the Dom smiled. "Yeah? You'll do this?"

Harry nodded silently. _Happiness_ , he reminded himself.

Nick grinned and took a bite out of his cake, seemingly much more cheerful and relieved now. "Fresh start then, yeah?"

"Yeah." Harry gave a small smile and took a sip of his tea, a smile involuntarily breaking on his face as he visibly relaxed.

"Let's start with looking at our files." Nick took out two envelopes. "The ADS handed this to me to go over it with you. It's just some background information about each other, our likes and dislikes, Reds, Yellows, Greens, et cetera." Nick pulled out an envelope with the label _"Harry Edward Styles,"_ making it clear who's it was. "We're very compatible. I don't know if the ADS told you that."

"They did." Harry peered curiously at his files.

"I snuck a quick look at your files before you came to meet me, and we have similar Reds and Yellows and Greens with the small exceptions."

They went over a couple of kinks, negotiating whether it would be a Red, Yellow, or a Green. "Well, that's satisfyingly over with," Nick commented as he stuffed the papers back in.

"Yeah." Harry let out a small laugh, actually smiling as he spooned a bit of cake into his mouth.

"I was thinking that we could go over rules now." Nick pulled out a small notebook. "This is your Black Book. It's a technique I learned from one of my mentors."

Harry eyed it interestingly. Surprisingly, he had never heard of something like that before.

"We're going to write our rules and our progress in this. Punishments, scenes, aftercare, and feelings during anything — they'll all be written in this. It's a good way to let some emotions out or just to see how much our relationship progresses. Which reminds me of a question I wanted to ask." Nick leaned forward, looking at Harry. "You don't need to decide immediately or give an answer right away, but would you like this relationship to be platonic? That is, non-sexual?"

Harry bit his lip at the question. He had never really done much sexual activity with Louis either, and honestly speaking, he would love it if Louis was his first for everything. But would Nick get offended if he told him that?

As if understanding the internal struggle Harry was going through, Nick smiled sympathetically and said, "It's completely fine if it's non-sexual. This is to benefit you, not me."

"I … I guess maybe non-sexual for the most part, unless I really feel comfortable?" Harry asked hesitantly. "B-But no taking my virginity if we ever engage in activities."

"Of course," Nick reassured. "That was expected."

Personally relieved that Nick hadn't taken offence, Harry gave a small smile. "Maybe like, small blowies here and there? Or handjobs. I dunno."

"We'll see, then," Nick told him. "We'll start with the rules now. They're fairly simple and straightforward. I'm sure some will be added, some will be removed, and some will be changed as time passes by. First rule — no disobedience."

"Of course," Harry agreed. It was a simple rule that everyone had. Harry had never met anyone who did not have that rule.

"It's pretty straightforward I think, but I'll expand on it a bit," Nick said as he glanced down at the Black Book where he had already written the rules. "If I tell you to do something, you may protest. I'm not saying that you have to be completely compliant — I don't want you to be a robot. However, if you do disagree with something I say, you will _politely_ let me know, then try to prove to me as to _why_ you disagree. If you manage to convince me, then it plays the way you want it to. If I deem your argument unreasonable, then you obey me."

"Sounds fair to me," Harry commented, slightly impressed by how much Nick had changed since their school years.

"Second, no lying." Nick looked at him very seriously. "Our relationship is built on trust. You show me that I can trust you, and I'll show you that you can trust me. Deal?"

Harry nodded.

"Next rule — you need to tell me if you're in a specific mood or headspace," Nick said.

"What do you mean by that?" Harry asked hesitantly, slightly puzzled.

Nick smiled. "If you're feeling overly submissive, if you're feeling little, if you feel like you're in a pet headspace, et cetera. If you ever feel like that, then come and let me know and I'll do my best to adjust to your needs depending on the situation. Sound good?"

"Yeah." Harry nodded shyly.

The rules continued on, ending finally with the rule that stated he was to be in bed by at least midnight. Harry had been unable to resist from protesting at that rule — midnight was way too early! However, Nick had insisted that "midnight was a good time for him to sleep at and would keep him healthy and perky for the next day."

Harry had finished his slice of cake by the end of the conversation, and was now almost done his tea. Nick had finished them long before he had, probably since he had been talking more than Harry.

"I'm really happy that I get this chance with you," Nick told him. "It grows both of our experiences, don't you think?"

"Yeah." Harry smiled, much more relaxed now than before. When he had first entered the café, he had been wary of Nick, but now he knew that Nick wouldn't harm him.

"Do you have any questions?"

Harry thought silently for a few second, biting his lip. "Um, how about when you're at work? Because I know that you work with the radio station, and that's not really easy to skip." He gave a small laugh. "Do I do chores while waiting for you, or …?" His voice trailed off questioningly.

"I was thinking that if you're well-behaved, you can come join me at the station." Nick grinned. "It would be fun for you and me both."

Harry gasped. "You'd let me do that?" he exclaimed. "Like, I get to talk on the radio and stuff too?"

"As long as you behave, I'll allow you to come with me and say a few words as well when I give you permission," Nick acknowledged, smiling at the sub's evident excitement.

"Yes!" Harry grinned. "Please, I'd love to!"

"Only if you're well-behaved, Harry," Nick warned. "You won't be coming with me until I know that I can trust you and that you can behave."

"Okay." Harry managed to calm himself down, knowing that he was attracting stares. "What do I do if I end up staying home instead of going to work with you?"

"You'll do chores or assignments for me," Nick told him. "Assignments might be writing short essays for me, doing a specific task, et cetera."

Harry wrinkled his nose at the thought of writing essays. "Ew," he complained.

Nick laughed. "And that's exactly why you should be on your best behaviour, right?" He grinned.

"Yeah." Harry allowed himself to give Nick a small smile.

"One more thing to discuss," Nick added.

Harry straightened. "Yes?"

"You're my sub now, legally speaking. That means—"

"I'm going to have to move into your house, aren't I?" Harry bit his lip.

Nick blinked and nodded, though he looked sympathetic. "The laws state that a Dom and sub must be under the same roof in three days."

"I know." Harry sighed. "It's just going to be a bit hard, moving out and all."

"It's only temporary," Nick reminded gently. "And we'll visit Mr. Payne and Mr. Malik often, too, whenever you want."

Harry gave a small smile, feeling a little better knowing that he wouldn't be completely cut off from Liam, Zayn, and Niall. "Okay," he agreed.

"I'm thinking you'd move in on the second day, the one after tomorrow. That wouldn't make you feel too rushed, would it?" Nick checked.

"No, it's good," Harry assured.

"You'll like the house," Nick continued on, as if trying to reassure Harry that everything would be fine. "It's probably not as big as the one you're currently living in, but it's pretty sweet, too. And I have a puppy called Pig. Do you like dogs?"

"I love them." Harry grinned.

Nick smiled back at him. "Great," he said happily. "Now, how does a bit of footie sound to you? I'm getting a bit restless, personally."

"Sounds good," Harry replied, getting up and following Nick out of the café.

"We'll drive to the park — it's not far off," Nick rambled as he led Harry to a shiny black Mercedes.

Harry nodded and got in the passenger's seat when his phone buzzed. He dug it out of his pocket and glanced at the screen, starting a bit in surprise when the car rumbled to life.

 _Liam: Are you going to return to the ADS Building?_

Harry frowned, unsure of what the response was. So he glanced at Nick, who was whistling along to the music he had turned on and asked, "Are we returning to the ADS Building afterwards? Liam is asking."

Nick hummed. "I'll drive you home, don't worry."

"Great." Harry smiled and texted back a response.

 _Harry: no, it's ok. nick says he'll drive me back._

 _Liam: Okay xx_

Harry grinned and typed three x's back before pocketing his phone again.

They arrived at the park shortly, Nick retrieving a ball from the trunk of the Mercedes and kicking it when they drew closer to the football field. "I bet I'm better at footie than you," the Dom called back teasingly.

Harry gasped exaggeratingly, playing along. "I'll show you!" He grinned and chased after the ball, even though he knew that he was horrible at football, unlike … Louis. He frowned. There it was again, Louis haunting him, his presence always there.

He stopped the ball with his foot, panting, and rolled it around a little, pretending to wind up for a shot towards Nick, who was waiting with a grin. He could always say that he wasn't in the mood for football and just head home. Then he could go home and cry his heart out.

But was that what he really wanted?

He hesitated, struggling to decide. Then, making his decision, he kicked the ball straight towards Nick, allowing himself to have a bit of fun. It couldn't hurt.

"Nice!" Nick called to him with a laugh. "You ready?"

"Come at me!" Harry grinned back.

They played for a bit more before Harry decided to stop, too exhausted to continue. He panted and thanked Nick when the Dom handed him a water bottle. "With my knowledge and understanding of the football game, I feel like I should be a lot better at football," he laughed jokingly.

"Maybe you're a lost cause," Nick joked back.

"Hey!" Harry yelped.

Nick laughed. "Kidding, of course."

Harry jumped back up, feeling a bit more rested, and said, "Can we continue?"

"I don't know," Nick said thoughtfully, glancing at his watch. "It's already 8 o'clock. We should probably head home."

Harry pouted but didn't protest. "Okay," he agreed.

"We can always come back to play later," Nick promised. "We have months ahead of us."

"Right," Harry agreed, getting into the Mercedes. "Months."

Months until he saw Louis. His heart ached.

"Address?" Nick asked.

Harry showed him the address of Liam and Zayn's house, and they set off.

"Did you have fun?" Nick inquired with a soft smile.

"Yeah," Harry replied. "It was amazing. Thank you."

"It's no problem." Nick grinned. "We'll have to do that often — it's definitely stress relieving."

Harry nodded in agreement. Although he still felt sad and heavy from Louis' departure, having Nick there was helping him cope, just a little.

The rest of the car ride was relatively quiet, with Nick allowing Harry to scroll through his camera roll and look at pictures of Pig. "She's adorable," Harry cooed. "I can't wait to see her."

"She'll greet you by jumping on you," Nick warned good-naturedly. "And I'll just be watching."

"Wow, okay," Harry laughed.

They pulled up in front of the huge house, Nick exclaiming, "Wow! Do you get lost in there?"

Harry laughed. "Yeah, a few times a day," he joked. He blushed and murmured, "Thank you for driving me and meeting me."

"It was my pleasure," Nick responded. "Now, go. Mr. Payne and Mr. Malik will be wondering where you are."

Harry waved goodbye to Nick and ran up the steps, ringing the doorbell as he didn't have keys. Zayn opened the door, also waving to Nick in the Mercedes that was pulling out of the driveway.

Harry entered the house, exhausted from the day out with Nick.

Zayn greeted him with a smile. "How was it?"

Harry paused, thinking of an answer. Then he smiled and said, "It was good."

Maybe this would really help him heal.

* * *

Harry wasn't sure how he'd found himself in this situation, but he didn't know what to do. Niall was on his bed, crying. He had come into Harry's room, looking upset.

"What's wrong, Ni?" Harry had asked, worried for the visibly distressed sub.

Then Niall had broken down sobbing.

Harry bit his lip, then placed a hand on Niall's shoulder. "Niall, you can always talk to me," he said gently. "You know that."

Niall sniffled and gave a small nod. Several minutes passed before he said, voice hoarse, "I need to tell you something."

Harry's heart thumped, already nervous. "Okay," he said softly.

"I … my entire family is made up of Doms," Niall began shakily. "I was the only sub in the entire family. Not even my cousins w-were subs. So naturally, when I was born, I was automatically named as a Dom by my parents."

"Okay," Harry said slowly, wondering where this was going. Something told him Niall's story didn't have a very happy ending.

"What a surprise when I was proclaimed to be a sub when I took the test." Niall laughed bitterly. "My parents made me take the test three more times, just to confirm that the results weren't lying. Each time, the result was 'submissive.' You can only imagine how angry my parents were."

"Why?" Harry gasped, horrified. "Being a sub is wonderful!"

"Not in their eyes," Niall scoffed. "They said they didn't need any weakling subs in their family, related to them. They disowned me."

"That's ridiculous!" Harry declared.

Niall just rolled his eyes. "I went through two months of no longer being treated as their son, as their blood relative. One day, me dad drank a bit too much." He sniffled, obviously more anxious judging from how stronger the Irish accent became. "He was full-on drunk, the eejit."

"Oh no," Harry breathed.

"Guess what happens next?" Niall let out a bark of angry laughter. "I come home and he's screaming at me the moment I step foot into the house, claiming that I'm not longer their son, so therefore I shouldn't even be there."

Harry's blood boiled just listening to the story but he remained silent, knowing that Niall wanted to tell him this.

"So I scream back, because I know that it's bullshit, how I'm being treated." Niall took a moment to take a deep breath, visibly calming himself down. "It didn't get me anywhere. Actually, it did something — the opposite of what I wanted. The next morning, I'm being woken up rudely. Then, these men come and they pick me up, and my family just watches. I'm shoved into the back of a truck, and I'll never forget what I saw then." The blond sub shuddered.

Fear sparked in Harry's heart. "You don't have to say this if you don't want to, Ni," he said softly.

"No, I need to," Niall said, determined. "I saw … there were these other boys and girls in there, and they were all s-shackled by the throat, like they were some sort of an animal. I was next. It wasn't long before I was just like them. I managed to get a glimpse out the window, and I saw my parents paying one of the men a good amount of money. Turns out they paid for me to be taken away to an illegal sub auction. Brilliant, ain't it?" He laughed bitterly, for what seemed like the hundredth time. "You don't need something, you get rid of it. Why not do the same to your useless son?"

"Niall," Harry said helplessly. "You're not useless."

"They knocked us all out unconscious for most of the time, so I don't remember a lot of it, but when I woke up, I was in London, where we were all shipped to our final destination — the sub auction. I was lucky enough to be only stuck in that hellhole for a month or so. There were others who had been in there for over a year. I was one of the lucky ones. I was put out for sale — like I was an object," Niall growled, "and luckily, Zayn and Liam were passing by. They saw how horrible the auction was, and they bought all the subs out from the auction — even the ones not on sale. Then they managed to shut it down, thank god."

"What happened to the other subs?" Harry asked breathlessly, heart fluttering in his chest.

"They were matched with Foster Doms or with actual Doms, and they're all safe now," Niall answered. "Zayn and Liam took me in, and I never went back home to Ireland after all this. And I don't want to."

"I don't blame you," Harry whispered. "I wouldn't want to either."

"I just … I needed to tell you this." Niall closed his eyes. "Especially because of how horrible I've treated you when it came to sharing Zayn and Liam. I just … I couldn't stand the thought of losing the people who cared for me again. I was scared that they would like you more than me. It's stupid, I know." Niall looked shame-faced. "I'm really sorry."

Harry smiled sadly. "Niall," he said, and placed a hand on his friend's shoulder. "I don't blame you for what you did — I would have done the same." He let his smile grow. "When someone loves another very much, they'll do anything to be with them or get them back. Sound familiar?"

Niall sniffled. "Yeah," he choked out. "It's what I said to you about Louis."

Harry laughed softly. "Yeah," he agreed. "It is."

He leaned back on his bed and opened his arms. "C'mon," he said with a smile. "Cuddles?"

"Yeah," Niall agreed with a smile. "Cuddles sound brilliant right now."

And the two of them just stayed there, cuddling, both thoughtfully silent.

* * *

"Ma'am, it wasn't our fault!" Alec spluttered.

"Shut up!" Maxwell snarled lowly, shooting him a death look. Nothing they said would make things better, after all.

Alec snapped his mouth shut.

"Never before," the woman who had been pacing said, looking extremely frustrated, "have I ever had something change my plans this much."

Maxwell inhaled sharply. It had been a while since he had last seen her so distressed. He figured he could calm her down if he tried to approach her. He shot Alec a firm look, and then placed a hand on the still-pacing woman's shoulder.

"Julia," Maxwell said gently. "It's okay. Everything will be fine."

"No, it won't!" she exclaimed. "I'm the head of the international cops here; I can't just screw up like this!"

"Everyone makes mistakes," Maxwell reminded. "Besides, you haven't completely messed up. Who knew Louis would be sent to that home, leaving Harry alone?"

Julia just stared, as distressed as ever. "Christian will find that poor curly-headed boy and his blond friend!" She started pacing again. "It wasn't long ago when we found out Christian — that damned man — would target Harry and Niall next. Christian is _crazy_ , do you not understand?" she demanded. "What are we going to do if that cursed man takes and sells Harry and Niall, just like he did with …" She trailed off, then gulped. "Just like he did with poor little Johnny. Your little Johnny. What are you going to do if it happens again?"

Maxwell saw Alec visibly flinch at the name, and he couldn't help but wince as well. The thought of losing their poor little sub still hurt him, although it had happened years ago. "Time will fix everything," was all he said, not sure of what else to say. "Julia, just listen to me. I'm your little brother — it'll be fine." He tried to make his tone as soothing as possible. "You've given Alec and me orders, and we're going to carry them out."

"We'll make sure to protect them," Alec agreed. "You don't need to worry about anything, Ma'am."

Maxwell shot his lover a grateful look when Julia visibly calmed.

"Yes," he agreed. "We won't fail — not this time. Don't worry."

"Okay," she breathed, eyelashes fluttering as she squeezed her eyes shut.

Maxwell exchanged a grim look with Alec.

They couldn't afford to fail again.


	23. Chapter 23

**WARNINGS FOR THE CHAPTER: a little bit of angst, corner time, spanking, praise kink, blowjobs, come swallowing/eating, handjobs, a small scene where you may think Harry is in subdrop — he's not; he's just really emotional.**

* * *

Harry stared out the window as Nick drove the Mercedes cheerfully. He had hugged Liam, Zayn, and Niall goodbye. He would miss them. It had been a while since he'd last spent time away from them. A little heartbreaking, really, but he knew he had to do this. No one was forcing him, of course, but even he knew that this would be a good change for him. He just needed a new start, a time to heal. Not that he didn't want to be with Louis. He missed the blue-eyed Dom so much already, and it hadn't even been that long.

They pulled up in front of Nick's house. Harry had been there once, just to see where he would live for a while, but had never gone inside. He knew that Liam and Zayn had sent an assistant from the ADS to check the living conditions of Nick's house — it was the law. He and Nick had spent the time playing footie, as no one was allowed inside the house when the safety check was occurring.

The house was relatively big. Not as big as Liam's and Zayn's, obviously, but it was still quite big. It had a homely feel to it, and Harry liked it.

"Come on," Nick smiled. "I'll carry the boxes inside. You just run along."

"No, it's okay," Harry replied kindly. "I'll help move the boxes. It'll get the job done faster."

"True," Nick laughed.

They both unloaded Harry's luggage from the trunk of the car. Thankfully, there weren't a lot of stuff to move, so in ten minutes, everything was on the porch of the house, ready to be moved inside.

Harry took note of his surroundings. Nick had a small pond with little fish swimming inside. The water was relatively clean. Harry wondered how Nick kept the water in that condition. A pale white fence surrounded the lawn of the house, and two birds sat there chirping. The grass was neatly cut, and everything was pleasantly tidy.

"The birds chirp a bit too loud every once awhile, but it's usually not too bad," Nick told him.

"That's fine." Harry smiled when Nick fumbled for his keys. There was a loud barking from inside the house and Harry felt his face light up. "Can't wait to see Pig," he grinned.

Nick rolled his eyes fondly. "She'll be so excited to see someone new in the house. Hope you like dog slobber on your face."

Nick opened the door and immediately a loud barking was heard, followed by a flash of white.

"Oof!" The breath was knocked out of Harry as he felt something jump on him and promptly lick his face.

"Oh, alright," Nick laughed. "Come on, Pig, get off him." He hauled the dog off.

Harry sat up and wiped his face with his sleeve, then cooed. "Awww!" he exclaimed. "She's so cute!" It was a bull terrier, her fur white and soft with a patch of black on her ear.

Nick smiled. "Yeah, she's a cute one," he said proudly. "Go on, Pig." He shooed the dog away.

In a matter of seconds, the boxes were all inside the house and the door shut behind them.

Harry finally took note of the inside of the house and whistled. The house was very neat, not that he hadn't expected it to be, especially judging from the outside of the house. It seemed Nick prided in cleanliness.

"Well?" Nick smiled, looking slightly nervous. "What do you think?"

Harry broke into a big smile. "It's brilliant. I love it already."

"You've only just stepped into the house," Nick teased laughingly.

"Shh!" Harry laughed.

"Come on, I'll give you a tour of the house — our house. You can pick your room out."

Harry grinned. He could already predict that it would be fun living with Nick, and silently thanked Mr. Beggings for forcing him to meet Nick.

 _2 Weeks Since Louis' Departure _

Harry was pouting.

"I really, really want to come with you!" Harry complained.

"I'm sorry, Harry, but you're the one who decided to get into trouble," Nick responded with a shrug.

"You're not being fair," Harry huffed. "It wasn't even that big of a deal."

"You ignored me when I told you multiple times to clean your room, then proceeded to throw an unmannerly tantrum when I came up to your room." Nick raised an eyebrow as he shrugged on his coat. "Deliberately ignoring me and being disrespectful doesn't seem like the best behaviour you could have shown me."

Harry decided to switch tactics, instead pouting and giving his best puppy eyes to Nick, who didn't look too impressed. "I'm sorry," he said pitifully. "Please? Can I go with you today to the station?"

"I'm not going to reward you for your misbehaviour," Nick retorted, not falling for it. "So, please, Harry. Stop begging me."

Harry felt his face fall. "Sorry," he whispered, actually meaning it this time.

Nick sighed and drew him into a hug, running a hand through Harry's hair. "You can come with me tomorrow if I find your behaviour acceptable. But not today. I want you to stay home today and show to me that you can behave."

"Okay," Harry said, swallowing back his complaints, even though he was aching to beg Nick to take him to the radio station — BBC Radio 1 was a lot of fun since he wasn't just at home dawdling without anything to do.

"Stay with Pig. Play with her, keep her company, yeah?" Nick smiled and drew back, pecking Harry on the cheek. "Listen to me on the radio if you get bored. When I come home, I want to see all of your chores done. Be a good boy."

"I will," Harry promised meekly.

"I'll be back by noon," Nick promised.

"Okay." Harry mournfully watched the Dom leave the house, Pig letting out a small whine from where she was standing beside him.

Harry sighed and pitifully watched the black Mercedes pull out of the driveway and drive off into the road.

Grumbling, he sat down and hugged Pig. "Nick is a meanie, isn't he, Pig?" Harry sighed. Pig whined in response. "Yeah, I'm glad you agree with me." He huffed and glared out the window. It was such a nice day too. "You know, Pig, I should just leave the house. That would give Nick a good reminder that I can do what I want."

He stood up and grabbed a coat, slipping his phone into his pocket. "Come on, Pig. Let's go out for a run." He clipped the leash onto Pig's collar and jogged out the door, locking the door with the spare key in the house.

He grinned when the cool air hit his face and he ran to the nearby park. Pig was panting, looking happy to be out of the house.

It only hit him then how angry Nick would be when the Dom found out he had left the house, especially since it was a big rule that he wasn't supposed to leave the house without permission.

He wasn't sure how long he had lingered there at the park for, but his phone buzzed and he pulled it out. He gulped when he saw the time — 12:15 PM. Which meant Nick was home.

 _Nick: Where are you?_

Harry froze, breath hitching. He didn't know what to reply so he just pocketed his phone and glanced down at Pig, who was pressed against his leg. Soon, his phone buzzed again.

 _Nick: Leaving the house when you're not alone, but on top of that ignoring my texts?_

 _Nick: I know you've read these messages._

 _Nick: Come home in at least fifteen minutes, and I mean it._

Harry inhaled uneasily. He knew that he had to go home now — he had angered the Dom enough. He sniffled sadly as he gently tugged on Pig's leash and said, "C'mon, Pig. We need to go home now."

She whined a little in protest but followed Harry obediently.

 _Even she's more obedient than I am,_ Harry thought woefully. He was such a fuck-up. He could never do anything right, and now Nick was going to be extremely angry with him. He was angry at himself, really. If he hadn't been a pouty, sulky little brat, Nick wouldn't be upset with him now.

He headed back home and the first thing he saw was Nick standing in the doorway, arms crossed and feet shoulder-width apart.

Harry almost turned heel right then, not wanting to face the consequences, but he knew that would only get him in even more trouble.

"Someone's finally decided to return." Nick raised a brow.

Harry swallowed hard, shuffling his feet.

Nick stepped aside. "Come in. We need to have a talk."

Harry handed the leash to Nick and stepped into the house, taking off his coat.

Nick snapped his fingers. "Living room," he ordered.

Harry scrambled to obey, not wanting to get in even more trouble. He glanced at the clock and silently cursed himself — it was an hour past noon. He should have been keep better track of the time.

Nick soon joined him on the couch, facing him. Harry couldn't meet the Dom's eyes, too scared that he would see disappointment in them.

"Don't you have anything to say to me?" Nick said in a suggestive tone.

"Sorry," Harry whispered, voice cracking.

"Explain."

Harry sniffled. "I was just really upset I couldn't come with you to the station today." He felt his eyes stinging with tears.

Nick gave a frustrated sigh. "Harry," he began.

"I know, I'm really sorry!" Harry looked down at the floor. "It was stupid."

"It's dangerous if you leave the house without me knowing," Nick reminded sternly. "Rules are only there for your own good. It's not to make you think that I'm being unfair, or a tyrant — it's to keep you safe."

"I know." Harry forced himself to look up at Nick. "Are you mad?" he whispered.

Nick sighed again and ran a hand through his hair. "A little disappointed," he admitted. "I want my subs — whether they're Foster subs or not — to remain safe, not in danger. That's why I set these rules. You have no idea how panicked I was when I couldn't find you in the house when I came back from work."

Harry's bottom lip trembled and he bit it, trying to resist from breaking down into sobs. "I'm really sorry," he said again, feeling actually fully repentant.

"You know I need to punish you."

Harry's heart jumped at Nick's words. "Yeah," he whispered.

Nick eyed him for a few good minutes, then decided, "No coming to the station with me for a week. And I want you to kneel in the corner for ten minutes. You're getting off lightly since it's your first misdeed."

"Yes, Sir," Harry whispered, jumping up and hurrying to obey.

His face felt hot and he felt like a little kid standing in the corner, but he definitely wasn't going to argue with Nick on the matter. The Dom seemed upset enough already.

He got down on his knees and shuffled forward, already feeling bored. He didn't like the silence that fell in the room — Nick had even turned the TV off. It was as if the only thing to entertain him was his thoughts, and his thoughts weren't exactly the most ideal thing he wanted to listen to at the moment. Especially since they were reprimanding him for getting into trouble.

"Five more minutes," Nick said in an emotionless voice. "Colour?"

"Green," Harry responded quietly, and that was that. Silence filled the house again.

Harry was getting tired kneeling in the corner, but he knew better than to get out of it. Besides, it wasn't like Nick had set an unreasonable amount of time — ten minutes was just fine. Lenient, in fact.

Harry sighed inwardly. Just because of his actions, he now couldn't join Nick at the station for a week. Not to mention, Nick was pretty disappointed in him for breaking an important rule that was there to keep him safe.

He was so deep into his thoughts that he didn't even notice when Nick finally announced that the ten minutes were finished.

"Harry?" Nick repeated gently. "You can come out now."

Harry inhaled sharply and turned around, immediately running straight into Nick's lap with a sob. "I'm sorry!" he sniffled, hugging the Dom. "I'm sorry I was so stupid!"

"Hey, don't say that," Nick scolded gently, hugging the sub tightly back as he cradled him on his lap. "You're not stupid."

Harry just sniffled and pressed his face into Nick's chest.

"All forgiven," Nick soothed, running a hand down Harry's spine. "We're all done."

"I didn't do my chores either," Harry said in a small voice, wiping away a tear. "I can do them now," he offered tearfully.

Nick hummed. "I think we'll let it slide for today," he said gently. "You need cuddles more than anything right now."

So they both cuddled.

 _2 Months Since Louis' Departure _

It was a horrible day.

The original plan was to go outside to play footie in the field, but of course, the weather just didn't want to comply. It was a wet and dreary day, much to Harry's dismay. So they decided to watch a movie instead.

However, right as they turned the tellie on, Nick got called to work to discuss something.

Harry pouted. "But it was supposed to our day together! We were supposed to have fun!"

"I know, babe, I'm sorry," Nick said as he put on his coat. "But apparently it's urgent."

Harry sulked.

"I'll be back in an hour," Nick said. "Stay inside the house. Don't answer the door if someone knocks. Text if you need me. Do not play footie inside the house. You'll end up hurting yourself."

"Yes, Sir," Harry responded, still sullen.

Nick gave him a peck on the cheek as he always did. Harry watched the Dom walk out and lock the door behind him, and let out a huge groan and threw himself onto the couch. "Not fair," he growled, glaring at the door. Nick never let him do what he wanted.

He spotted the football in the corner, and an idea sparked in his head.

He smirked.

A voice in his head screamed, _No! You'll just get in trouble!_

Of course, Harry wasn't one to listen, ever the sensible one. "As long as Nick doesn't find out, it's okay," he told himself as he fetched the football and kicked it around.

And it really was okay for a while, Pig even yapping and jumping around with him in the house excitedly.

It was all going so well, until Harry's foot caught on the edge of the table in the living room, and he tripped, landing on his bum. The football went flying in the air … and straight into a turquoise vase!

"Oh no," Harry gasped, stumbling forward without thinking. What he had broken wasn't just abnormal vase — it was an antique that had been passed down through Nick's family for generations. And he had just broken it.

He slipped in his haste to stumble forward, and his hands landed right in the broken shards of glass. He hissed in pain, quickly drawing his hands back and regretting his impulsive decision.

He cradled his injured hands for a bit and managed to pick the glass shards out of his hands. Thankfully, they weren't embedded too deeply. He then fetched some bandages from the small drawer in the living room and wrapped them around his hands, grimacing in pain.

He decided to be sensible and do something smart — call Nick.

The Dom picked up automatically on the first ring, and Harry couldn't help but smile a little. Even while at work, the Dom cared enough to pick up straight away.

"Hello?" Nick sounded worried — and he had a good reason to be. Harry never called Nick when the Dom was at work because he didn't want to be a bother.

"Nick," Harry said softly.

"Hey, Hazza. You okay?" Nick's voice softened, still filled with concern.

"Sorry for calling when you're at work," Harry whimpered, suddenly scared on how much trouble he would be in.

"It's fine, babe. Do you need something?"

"I … I …" Harry took a deep breath, grimacing when he accidentally put pressure on his bandaged, injured hands. "I'm sorry."

"What happened?" Nick asked, voice turning a little sharper. "Are you hurt?"

"I — yeah. A little."

"Alright. I'm coming home."

"No! It's okay!" Harry said hurriedly, a frown on his face. "You have to stay at work; you can't just leave and—"

"I can if it's an emergency. I'm just about finished this meeting, so I'll be home in ten minutes or so, yeah?"

"Okay," Harry whispered, not wanting to argue and upset the Dom even more than he would be when he found out about the vase.

They hung up and Harry sat down on the couch, wanting to punch something. He was pale in the face and was sure that if his hands weren't injured, his palms would be sweaty from nervousness. What would happen to him now? Would Nick hate him? He stayed there, waiting until Nick came home.

Just as the Dom promised, it had only been ten minutes when Harry could hear the front door open. Nick appeared in the doorway and entered the house, locking it behind him. "Hazza?" he called.

"In the living room!" Harry replied, surprised that he hadn't broken down crying yet.

Nick immediately appeared, and his eyes darted right to the bandages Harry had wrapped. "What happened?" he murmured, taking Harry's hands in his own and holding them gently.

"I …" Harry's throat went dry and the words got stuck in his throat. He choked and just pointed at the small stand in the corner of the living room.

Nick followed the direction Harry had pointed in, and frowned, looking puzzled. "What? The table?" Before Harry could respond, realization flashed in Nick's eyes. "Oh," the Dom said.

Harry sniffled.

"Hey, babe, don't cry." Nick wiped Harry's tears away. "It's okay. Can you explain to me what happened?"

"I … you'll be mad," Harry croaked.

"No, I won't," Nick responded gently, sitting down next to him. He effortlessly lifted Harry into his lap and asked, "Is this okay?" Harry buried his face into Nick's neck in response. Nick chuckled. "I'll take that as a yes."

Harry inhaled sharply. He was going to have to tell Nick sooner or later, he reminded himself. "I … I was playing some footie indoors." He tensed, waiting for Nick's noise of anger, but was surprised when none came, so he took that as a sign of encouragement to continue. "And I really didn't mean to — it was only for a little, j-just to ease my boredom. But I accidentally k-kicked too hard and it knocked the vase off of the table." Harry trembled. "I'm sorry!"

Nick ran his hand through Harry's hair and hummed. "Are your hands okay?"

Harry tensed. "What?"

"Your hands," Nick said gently. "Are they alright?"

"I accidentally cut myself with the shards of the vase," Harry admitted.

"Come on, I'll help you treat them." Nick carried Harry bridal style up the stairs and set him down on the bed in their bedroom. Nick returned with some first aid supplies and unwrapped the bandages from Harry's hands. He dabbed rubbing alcohol on them, and Harry hissed immediately in response, wincing in pain. His hands were soon cleaned up and wrapped in fresh bandages. "We'll have to keep an eye out on those cuts of yours," Nick said as he tidied up the supplies. "Don't want you to get an infection."

Harry wordlessly watched Nick put away the supplies, then sit next to him on the bed.

"Do you know what's going to happen now?"

Harry whimpered and shook his head.

"I'm going to punish you," Nick said, not unkindly.

Harry's breathing hitched.

"I think fifteen spanks will do," Nick continued. "They'll be on the bed so you can stretch out and not put any weight or pressure on your hands. You'll be over my lap, and the spanks will be bare, as long as you're okay with that. No TV or footie for a week, as well."

"I'm fine with bare," Harry replied in a small tone. He trusted Nick not to do anything besides spank him.

"Do you want to get the punishment over with now?" Nick asked gently.

Harry gave a small nod and without even being asked, laid himself over the Dom's knees. He winced — Nick's knees weren't exactly the most comfortable thing to be laying stomach-down on, but he didn't bother protesting. He was too filled with guilt to complain.

"I want you to count out each spank, alright?" Nick said gently. "Can you do that for me?"

"Yes." Harry tried to relax as best as he could when Nick placed a hand on the small of his back to steady him.

The Dom pulled down his trousers and asked, "Colour?"

"Green."

Then Nick hooked a finger on the waistband of his boxers and said once more, "Colour?"

"Green," Harry replied softly.

"Good boy," Nick murmured, and slowly slid down Harry's boxers.

Harry shivered when the cool air hit his bum. He wasn't expecting when the first spank came down, so he was surprised. He gasped and tensed immediately, rearing up.

Nick gently pushed him back down and reminded, "Number?"

"One," Harry whispered.

The next spank came down shortly after Harry's response, Nick not wasting any time.

"Two." Harry shivered. His bum was already feeling warm and tingly, and he still had thirteen more to go!

The spanking continued, Harry steadily counting out the numbers with each spank from Nick's hard hand. He started whimpering and crying at around seven, his bum burning by now — Nick spanked hard! "Eight!" Harry flinched at the next spank.

"Colour?"

"G-Green," Harry whimpered.

"Good boy." To his surprise, the next spank didn't come down immediately. Nick gently rubbed Harry's bum with his hand and said, "Do you know why you're getting punished?"

"B-Because I didn't obey you," Harry sniffled.

"Be more specific." Nick peppered down another spank.

"O-Ow! Nine!" Harry let out a small sob. "I played football indoors when you told me not to!"

"That's right." Nick rubbed circles on Harry's trembling back. "Do you know why I don't allow you to play football indoors?"

"B-Because I might get hurt." Harry felt more tears coming at the scolding. "And because I could break things."

"That's right." Nick laid down another spank, right on the soft place where Harry's bum and thigh met, and the boy let out a wail, counting, "Ten!"

Harry sobbed, feeling absolutely miserable.

"You got hurt today because you didn't listen to me," Nick continued in a soft tone. "If you hadn't decided to be disobedient, we could have been outside playing football, or watching a movie."

Harry let out another sob. "Sorryyyy!" he wailed, legs kicking.

Nick seemed satisfied with his repentance and quickly meted out the last five spanks. By the end of it, Harry was hiccupping and sobbing, limp on Nick's lap.

"Hey, babe, it's okay," Nick soothed. "All over now." He gently lifted Harry and cradled him, though he was careful to not touch Harry's sore red bum. "Shhh, I know. I'm sorry I had to do that," Nick cooed.

Harry hiccoughed. "Y-You never spanked me before," he sobbed, and it was true. Nick had always only given him stern lectures or put him in the corner or done something else. But then again, he had never gotten into this much trouble.

"I know," Nick soothed, pressing a kiss onto Harry's forehead. "And now you know not to be naughty, right?"

Harry nodded pitifully.

"I punish you for your own good," Nick continued softly. "You could have gotten seriously hurt, Harry. Do you understand? What if it wasn't just your hands that got injured?"

Harry shuddered and sniffled, "I'm really sorry about breaking your vase. I didn't mean to."

"It's alright, babe," Nick murmured. He smiled and said in a low, teasing voice, "Besides, it was quite the ugly thing anyway, wasn't it?"

Harry gave a small smile, and so did Nick.

They spent the rest of the day cuddling.

 _5 Months Since Louis' Departure _

Harry woke up, feeling a little odd. He found out the reason why soon enough.

Nick was hard.

The Dom was spooning him, Harry cuddled in his embrace, and Harry could feel his hard-on through their boxers.

He glanced at the clock on the nightstand next to the bed and was surprised when he realized it was only six in the morning — he was used to waking up earlier than six. He stiffened when Nick let out an inaudible noise and moved in the bed, bringing Harry closer to both his body and his hard-on.

Harry wriggled. "Nick," he whispered. "Nick!"

The Dom opened one eye and let out a groan. "What? Hazza, it's only six!"

"You, uh—" Harry went bright red, unable to finish the sentence.

Nick frowned, looking puzzled, then froze. "Oh," he whispered. He quickly moved away. "I'm sorry," he apologized. "That wasn't intentional, I promise."

Harry just stared.

Nick looked nervous. "Are you alright, Harry?" he asked softly.

Silence.

"Colour?"

"I … green," Harry breathed. "I … I want …" He licked his dry lips, unable to get his words out.

"What do you want, babe?" Nick asked gently, self-consciously pulling the blankets up to cover his hard-on.

Harry swallowed and looked up. "Can I suck you?" he whispered.

Nick gaped. "What?"

"I …" Harry blushed. He had a sudden urge to please Nick, to show him how good he could be. He wanted praise, he wanted to be called a good boy — no, he needed it.

"I don't know, Hazza," Nick began doubtfully. "You know that you don't have to do anything that you don't want to—"

"No, I want to," Harry insisted. His eyes darted up to Nick's. "Please."

Nick seemed to understand the thoughts he hadn't been able to get out — the need to please. "If you're sure," the Dom said slowly, and pulled the blankets back down.

"I'm sure," Harry assured. "Green. I promise."

"Alright." Nick looked extremely serious. "You can stop whenever you want to."

Harry nodded. "I know."

"Do you know how to give a blowjob?" Nick asked.

Harry bit his lip and shyly shook his head.

"I'll teach you." Nick spread his legs and said, "Can I take down my boxers?"

Harry nodded.

Nick shed his boxers and Harry's breath hitched. Nick was big. Not unbelievably big, of course, but a rather large size. "Come here."

Harry shivered when Nick grasped his hair in his fist and tugged gently, leading him down to his cock.

"Mouth open," Nick murmured.

Harry opened his mouth obediently and made a small noise when his lips brushed the head of Nick's cock.

"Make sure you cover your teeth with your lips," Nick murmured lowly, cock still fully hard, if not harder. "Don't try to take in more than you actually can. It's your first time and I don't want you pushing yourself."

"I won't," Harry breathed. Without stalling, he took Nick into his mouth and sucked.

"Use your tongue to tease," Nick said, and let out a small groan. "God, Hazza, you sure this is your first time? You're already amazing."

Harry let out a small hum as he flicked his tongue under the underside of Nick's cock, and the Dom let out another moan. Harry smirked, feeling pleased with his progress already. He slowly tried to go lower down and gagged a little when Nick's cock hit his throat. He pulled off with a pop and Nick immediately gave him a proud smile. "Great job, babe," he praised. "I barely even taught you anything, and you were like an expert."

Harry pouted. "I only took in half."

"That's okay, that's—"

Harry immediately went back down, not giving Nick a chance to finish his sentence. He bobbed up and down, making sure Nick was feeling good. His own cock had hardened, twitching in need.

"Harry," Nick groaned. "G-Get off. I'm going to c-come."

Harry ignored the Dom and continued sucking.

"Harry!" Nick groaned, obviously trying to hold back from coming into Harry's mouth. Harry, determined to make the Dom come, made even more of an effort. Nick moaned, tugging Harry's hair, and exploded into Harry's mouth.

Harry choked a little at first, but managed to swallow everything down. He pulled off and gave Nick a proud smile.

"Such a good boy," Nick breathed, looking at him through fluttering eyelashes. "Amazing."

Harry grinned.

"Colour?"

"Green," Harry promised. He glanced down at his own cock. "Uh, should I—" he began.

"I can take care of that for you," Nick offered gently, chest still heaving. "A handjob."

Harry bit his lip. "Okay," he agreed.

"You're such a good boy," Nick murmured as he began to stroke up and down Harry's cock. "So, so good. You're perfect."

Harry blushed when a small moan escaped him, but he soon forgot about embarrassment when Nick's skilled hand continued to bring him closer to coming. "Ungh," he moaned. He jerked when he felt a finger at his hole.

"That okay?" Nick asked gently, pausing.

"Yes!" Harry spluttered. "Just continue!"

Nick let out a bark of laughter and continued stroking Harry and teasing his hole. He never entered a finger inside, but circled the twitching rosebud teasingly.

Harry was shaking, his heart beating rapidly, as he moaned. Nick began to stroke faster and Harry's hips finally jerked up, reaching climax.

The Dom continued to stroke him and gently pressed his finger against his spasming hole.

Harry was blinded by the pleasure, overwhelming him. He let out breathy moans and his cock twitched, spent.

"You're so beautiful," Nick breathed. He brought his hand to Harry's mouth, which was covered in the sub's come, and said, "Lap it all up."

Without hesitation, desperate to please, Harry lapped at the come on Nick's hand.

"Such a good boy," Nick breathed, pulling him closer. "Did that feel good?"

"Amazing," Harry breathed. "Thank you."

His heart was still thumping from the overwhelming pleasure he had felt, and he almost wanted to do it again but he refrained.

"Cuddle?" Nick offered, holding out his arms.

As Harry curled next to Nick, his more sensible thoughts than sex returning to his head, he couldn't help but begin to think, feeling a little wistful. When would Louis return? When would Louis make him feel pleasure? When could he please Louis?

He wanted Louis.

He liked Nick — sure, the man was fair, kind, and treated him well. But it wasn't the same.

He wasn't Louis.

The scariest part was, he had forgotten about Louis during when he had been blowing Nick. Was the blue-eyed Dom really that easy to forget? Would he ever even see him again?

 _No,_ Harry told himself firmly. _Louis will come back soon. He loves me. He'll come back._

He fell asleep to those thoughts, silently begging and pleading with his all his heart for Louis to return.

 _8 Months Since Louis' Departure _

Louis wasn't doing much, just sitting around. It was the hour in which he didn't have any classes or lessons. Most of the time he spent the hour outside the training home with some of the friends he had made here, but this time he wanted to get some peace and quiet. He was feeling rather melancholy. The only thought in his head was, would he ever get out of the training home?

He turned up the radio in his room as he fetched a book from the shelf. He smiled when he heard Nick Grimshaw's voice — he was nice to listen to when he wanted to relax.

"Not a lot has been going on in the world lately," Nick was saying in a relaxed voice, making Louis relax as well. "So I've decided that it would be a good idea to answer some questions that fans have sent us on twitter. First one — why don't you read it out loud, Harry?"

Louis froze, dropping his book. He lost his page, but he didn't care. All he wanted to know was … who had Nick just called?

"Hmm, let's see. There are a lot of good questions."

Louis swallowed hard. It was just as he had suspected. His Harry. His Hazza. His submissive. He was on the radio with Nick, which could only mean one thing — Nick was Harry's Foster Dom.

Louis licked his dry lips and kept listening, not wanting to miss even a second. This moment was too precious for him, having not heard Harry's voice for eight painful months.

"Ooooh, maybe this one! Nick, why did you allow me, Harry, to join you at the radio?"

Nick chuckled. "Well, there's no point in keeping you back at home when you could very well be having fun here at the station. Don't you agree?"

"For sure," Harry's voice agreed.

Louis' breathing was shallow, as if he was too scared to even breathe too loudly and risk not hearing something Harry said.

That was how he spent the hour of his free time — listening to the voice of his loved one.

That was when he realized, he needed to get out of the home. He needed to become strong for Harry. Harry needed him. He needed Harry.

When the radio ended, Louis stood up, feeling like a new, different person, and walked out of the doorway.

He needed to be strong.

And he was going to be.

 _1 Year and 3 Months Since Louis' Departure _

"Did you have fun, love?" Nick asked as they finally finished at the radio station.

"It was great," Harry said with a bright grin. "I love working at the station with you!"

"Everyone loves listening to you, too," Nick told him as they got into the car. "You're very smooth, you know. You've got girls falling for you here and there. You should have seen the comments I got when I posted that selfie of us on instagram. They were all fawning about you."

Harry blushed. "I think I'm more famous than you," he teased the Dom good-naturedly.

Nick gasped, pretending to be hurt, making Harry burst into a fit of giggles. "I'll let you know that I'm quite well-known myself, you cheeky little boy!"

Harry laughed, cheeks hurting from smiling too much. His smile lingered for a while and he couldn't help but glance curiously at Nick, who was texting someone on his phone. "Who are you talking to?" he asked.

"Don't be nosy," Nick reprimanded, keeping his eyes on the phone screen.

Harry pouted. "Just curious."

Nick spared him a glance and ruffled his hair. "You'll find out sooner or later," he assured. He pocketed the phone and started the engine of the car. "Let's go home now, yeah?"

Harry nodded and looked out the window as they drove off. "Can we watch a movie and cuddle when we get home?" he asked. "And have a bag of crisps too?"

Nick hummed. "We'll see."

Harry pouted again. "You're no fun," he complained. Nick usually loved watching movies with him, so he wasn't sure why the Dom hadn't immediately agreed to the idea when he'd suggested it. _He's probably just tired from working all day,_ Harry told himself, not wanting to be a spoiled little brat.

They pulled up onto the driveway and Nick's phone buzzed with a message just as Nick turned the engine off.

"Who is it?" Harry whined, wanting to see.

Nick just smiled. "Go on and open the door, yeah? I'll join you inside soon; just gotta get some stuff out of the trunk."

Harry huffed. "Meanie," he accused.

Nick pecked him on the cheek.

Harry forced himself to push the sulkiness away. He doubted Nick would like if he gave him attitude, and Harry definitely didn't want to get punished for his sass. He just wanted to cuddle and watch a movie.

He entered the house, shrugging off his coat. "Hey, Pig!" he greeted with a smile as the dog jumped on him, licking his face excitedly. He laughed. "Hey, down, girl."

Harry headed into the kitchen to grab himself a bag of crisps, slightly hungry after staying at the radio station with Nick all day. _I'm going to turn on a movie, whether Nick decides to join or not_ , he thought sassily as he wandered into the living room.

To his surprise, sounds were coming from the living room. Puzzled, he frowned. "Oh, great," he muttered, desperately praying that he hadn't forgotten to turn the TV off in the morning before leaving the house — he would definitely get a scolding for that!

 _Maybe if I turn the tellie off now, he won't know,_ Harry thought sneakily and stepped into the living room.

Just as he had expected, the tellie was on, playing a … football match?

Harry frowned, keeping his eyes trained on the TV screen. No one in the house watched football matches, so it was strange that it was playing on the screen right now — especially since he hadn't been watching football in the morning either.

Then it struck him.

He knew only one person who loved football with a strong passion, strong enough to watch footie all day.

He spun around, and his blood went cold from shock.

"Louis?" he gasped.


	24. Chapter 24

**WARNINGS FOR THE CHAPTER: some angst, kneeling, mention of sucking cock (blowjob), some possessiveness from Doms, mention of subspace. Not sure if I missed anything, but there aren't many warnings for this chapter.**

* * *

"Louis?" he gasped again, unable to believe himself. His heart was pounding, the blood rushing in his ears.

The blue-eyed Dom looked up. He hadn't changed much. His hair had grown out a little more, looking fluffy and wispy, and he'd gained a lot of muscle on his body and arms. If anything, he'd gotten even hotter, in Harry's opinion.

"Hey, babe." Louis smiled.

Harry stared at him, still tingling in shock. Then, the pounding sound began to come back to his ears, not with shock this time, but with anger. Did Louis really think he was just allowed to come back and say hi as if he hadn't gone and left Harry for over a year?!

Louis seemed to notice the anger visible on Harry's face. "I missed you," he said quietly.

 _I missed you too_ , Harry's heart wanted to say, but his mind spoke for him instead. "I … _fuck you, Louis!"_

Both Louis and Nick looked taken aback at Harry's reaction. It was obvious they'd been expecting a different reaction from him, which only served to anger him more.

Harry let out a sob. "You just … you leave for over _one fucking year_ and you come back and you think everything can just go back to normal?" he screamed.

"Harry," Nick said softly, obviously trying to appease him.

"No! Shut up, Nick!" Harry shrieked. Blinded by anger, he whipped around, grabbing the first thing he saw, which was, unfortunately, a plate. He whipped it at the ground and it shattered into pieces.

Nick's mouth dropped open, eyebrows shooting up, obviously preparing for a scolding. However, before Nick or Louis could say anything, Harry whipped around and stormed out of the room, heading upstairs. He considered going into his room, but he didn't like his own room anymore. He'd usually spent the time in Nick's room, not his. So he opened the door to the attic and stumbled up the stairs.

He sat down, tears streaming freely now. He had missed Louis. Even though the Dom hadn't acted like a real Dom should have, Harry had still loved him, and that was all that had mattered. But then Louis had left, leaving him heartbroken. And now he thought he could just come back, pretending nothing had happened, pretending he hadn't left his sub heartbroken for over a year?

He couldn't help but feel a little sorry, now that he was thinking about it. Louis had only left for Harry's own good. He hadn't been acting selfish. He had left to become a better Dom for Harry.

 _Stupid sub instincts,_ a voice grumbled. On the contrary, another hissed, _He comes back for you, and that's how you greet him? You ungrateful brat!_

Harry sniffled and drew his knees close to his chest, hugging them. He had fucked up. Louis had come back, ready to be his Dom again, and the first thing he'd done was yell and throw a plate.

He let out a small sob and looked around. The attic had always scared him a little, though he would have never admitted that before.

He wasn't sure how long he had stayed there for, but he heard the stairs creak and footsteps approaching him. His heart began to beat faster and he curled up tighter nervously. He put his head down, not wanting to see who it was. He flinched when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Hey, babe."

It was Nick.

"Do you want to talk?"

Harry just sniffled.

"Look at me," Nick cooed. "Come on, little one. Eyes up."

Harry slowly forced himself to look up. Nick smiled at him sadly and reached out to wipe away his tears. "Why is my pretty boy crying?" he crooned. "It's okay. Everything's okay."

Harry just stared at him tearfully. "Louis is mad." It wasn't a question.

"No, he's not," Nick responded, sitting down next to him and soothingly playing with his curls. "He's not mad at all."

Harry bit his lip. "Then he's sad."

Nick hesitated. "He is a bit upset," he acknowledged. "But I think he's more upset at himself than you."

Harry sniffled and wiped away another oncoming tear.

"You should go talk to him," Nick said softly. "You should never leave someone having unsolved problems in between."

Harry curled his toes, digging them into the carpet laid on the floor. "I don't want him to be mad," he whispered.

"He's not." Nick smiled at him wryly. "Hey, c'mon, I'll make you a deal. Go downstairs and talk to him. If it doesn't work out, no one will force you to be with him. But you've got to give this a chance, yeah?"

Harry sniffled. He knew that if he told Nick that he honestly did not want to go and give it another try with Louis, his wish would be taken into consideration. But then he remembered that he hadn't wanted to meet Nick either, but it had turned out well. Better than expected, really. So he gave a reluctant nod. "Sorry for throwing that plate," he said, a tad bit sheepishly.

"I'm not going to say it's okay, because it wasn't," Nick sighed, and Harry winced. "But I understand that your emotions were controlling you, and you meant nothing malicious from it. So I'll let it go. Just don't let it happen again, yeah?"

Harry wiped his tears away and gave Nick a quick hug. He nodded and said, "I won't." He sighed and sat back down, heart heavy at the thought of going to face the waiting Dom.

"You don't have to do anything you're uncomfortable with," Nick reminded.

"I know," Harry said, slightly frustrated. "I just … I don't know how to respond, Nick! I don't know whether I should be tearfully happy in front of him, or if I should be angry at him!"

Nick was quiet for a few moments before responding. "It's your decision. But Harry, you can't be mad at him for leaving you. He meant well."

"I know." Harry stared at the floor for a good few minutes before standing up.

"You okay, sweetheart?" Nick smiled, standing up with him.

"Yeah," Harry assured.

"Do you want me to come with you or do you want a bit of privacy with Louis?"

"A bit of privacy, I suppose, but you're welcome to come if you want," Harry answered after thinking.

"A bit of privacy it is!" Nick replied. He pecked Harry on the cheek. "You're a good boy. You make me proud."

Harry blushed at the praise. He straightened and got up. He wrinkled his nose. "The attic is stuffy," he commented before heading downstairs, hearing Nick chuckle behind him.

Nick patted his bum in encouragement. "You can do it."

"I can do it," Harry muttered under his breath before he stepped into the living room. He licked his dry lips, observing the sight in front of him.

Louis was on his feet, looking out the window with his hands behind him, feet shoulder-width apart. He seemed to be lost in thought, but jerked out of it when Harry cleared his throat not so subtly. The Dom turned around and gave a small smile. "Harry."

Harry opened his mouth, but a lump was in his throat and his voice seemed to have run away, so he just shut it without saying anything. Louis seemed to understand, saying, "Let's talk."

"Right," Harry said weakly. He stumbled forward, almost falling, and hastily tried to sit down on a chair.

"I think you should kneel," Louis suggested kindly.

Harry frowned. "K-Kneel?"

"You're distressed," Louis responded with a raise of his brow. The Dom's tone seemed to be more knowledgeable than before — which he probably was. "Kneeling will help you calm down."

"O-Okay." Harry furrowed his brows, not sure how this would help him, but he did so anyway.

"Beautiful." Harry could picture Louis' smile in his head from the tone of his voice. "You're gorgeous on your knees."

"Thank you," Harry said awkwardly, not sure where this was going.

"I'm going to touch you," Louis continued on smoothly, voice steady and quiet. "I'm going to run my fingers through your hair. Just relax, and focus. Don't think about anything. Everything is alright."

Harry took a deep breath when he felt Louis begin to gently comb through his hair with his fingers. The feeling was nice; it sent tingles down his spine. He almost felt like he was falling asleep, funnily enough.

"See? You are getting calmer. What a good boy."

Harry preened at the praise, closing his eyes and letting him deal with everything. Louis was amazing, and he _felt_ amazing — wait, Louis? He blinked rapidly.

Louis chuckled. "Ah, you came out of it. I was worried you were going a bit too deep under for a moment. It was really just to calm you, put you under at a shallow level of subspace." He grinned and teased softly, "Seems like you're one of those cute little ones who slip easily, hm?"

Harry's eyelashes fluttered at the velvety sound of Louis' voice. The Dom was different, much different, now that he thought about it. There was more of a calming atmosphere to him, unlike before. He seemed to know exactly what Harry needed as well.

"How do you feel?"

"Good," Harry said softly. "You're good at this."

Louis gave a small smile. "I attended Profiling and "Behavioral Psychology at the training home. It gave me a large amount of knowledge on what to do depending on how you feel."

Harry just stared up at the Dom.

Louis chuckled. "What?" he joked. "Why are you staring? Is there something on my face?"

"No!" Harry spluttered. "It's just … you've changed so much."

Louis smiled. "Well, that training home would be pretty crappy if it didn't make me change." The smile faded away slowly. "It's still me," he said quietly, still playing with Harry's hair. "I'm still plain old Louis."

Harry just inhaled a shaky breath. "I missed you," he finally admitted. "A lot."

"So did I."

"I went nearly crazy after you left," Harry continued, seeing Louis wince apologetically. "I was so upset, and so angry. But I understand why you did it."

"Do you?" The Dom sounded sad, and Harry was tempted to just get up and hug him.

"You needed to," Harry said simply. "We both knew it was coming eventually."

Louis made a small noise of agreement. "You haven't changed at all," he said quietly. "You're still a pretty little sub with gorgeous green eyes and the perfect personality." Harry blushed, and Louis smiled fondly. "You're adorable."

"Tell me about your time at the training home," Harry requested.

"Okay," the Dom agreed easily, humming. "Hmm. Well, it was hard adjusting at first. But I met this nice bloke on my first day. We were roommates. Kept the room messier than I did."

"Is that even possible?" Harry giggled. "Someone messier than Louis Tomlinson?"

Louis laughed and good-naturedly scolded, "Watch your mouth."

Even though he knew Louis meant it as a joke, Harry felt his mouth go dry and he almost wanted to just suck Louis' cock then — how was it possible for someone to sound so heavenly and godly with just a few words? He managed to restrain himself, swallowing hard.

"The classes were also hard at first," Louis continued, "and I hated the one hour therapy sessions every week at first. I was never good at talking about my problems."

"Therapy every week for over a year." Harry whistled. "Poor you," he teased.

Louis laughed, tugging a strand of Harry's curls. He just said, "You're a cheeky one," making Harry want to melt at his tone. "I got used to it, though. And I learned how to cope."

"So did I," Harry admitted. "It was hard, and I didn't want to accept anything. I just wanted to stop everything, and just wanted you back."

"I've caused you more heartbreak than I've intended to," Louis sighed. "I'm sorry."

"It's alright," Harry assured with a small smile. "You're here now, aren't you? That's all that matters."

"We're very alike, you know," Louis said quietly, letting his fingers trail down his Harry's jaw, tracing his soft skin. "Just two fools in love."

Louis personally thought that it had gone quite well — well, obviously, the beginning hadn't been so pleasant, with Harry throwing a plate and all, but it had been solved. Now he and Harry were reunited, and quite frankly, he couldn't wait to start building up his relationship with Harry again.

He and Harry had held an enthralling yet a bit idle conversation, talking about everything that came to their minds. But who could blame them, really? It had been over a year since they had last seen each other.

Their conversation had been interrupted when Nick had appeared in the doorway. He hadn't been rude, but Louis had been a bit disappointed when the Foster Dom had suggested, "Harry, why don't you go get us all some tea?"

"Yorkshire?" Harry had checked with Louis before rushing away, eager to please, leaving Nick and Louis alone in the living room.

That's when Louis realized, he should have known something like this would happen.

Nick seated himself in front of Louis, lacing his fingers together and eyeing the Dom in front of him. "Are you happy?" the Foster Dom eventually asked.

Louis blinked and slowly replied, "Yes."

Nick gave a small, tight smile. "I'm glad to know that."

There was a small, awkward silence in between them and Louis finally broke the silence, unable to stand it any longer. "Harry seems happy."

"He is."

"I'm glad he is," Louis said. "He deserves to be."

Nick made a small noise of agreement. "Which reminds me, I needed to talk to you about something."

 _Oh, great,_ Louis thought, already dreading the conversation ahead of them. However, he just said, "Go on."

"Will you really be able to take care of Harry properly?" Nick asked bluntly, without any hesitation.

Louis bristled at what the Dom was implying. "Yes, I'm perfectly capable of taking care of _my_ sub."

"Yes, your sub, whom you have been separated from for over a year," Nick said in a pleasant tone.

Louis gritted his teeth.

Five minutes passed, and another ten.

The silence was broken when Nick cleared his throat, and Louis braced himself for what was to come next. What came out of Nick's mouth surprised him. "I'm sorry," he said, sounding genuine. "That was rude of me. I just care for the boy."

"I know you do, and so do I," Louis responded swiftly, slightly glad that the tension seemed to be disappearing, "which is why I'll be doing my best to take care of him."

"We've talked through text a few times, and you seemed genuine enough," Nick stated. "But I really do need to know if you can do this. Can you really take good care of my — well, _your_ — boy?"

Louis directed his gaze to the floor, not offended, but instead slightly hurt that he was being doubted. It wasn't Nick making his heart ache, either. It was his own thoughts — was he really up for this? There was only one answer.

He let out a small puff of air, and smiled. "Of course I am," he said.

Nick smiled back, relaxing. "Then there'll be no problems."

"'Course not," Louis agreed.

Harry appeared back in the living room with a tray holding three teacups, and Louis and Nick both broke into fond smiles as they watched the sub balance the cups on the tray. The curly-haired sub set it down on the table.

"Thank you, baby," Nick praised with a smile. "You're such a good boy."

Harry grinned bashfully. "Thank you."

Louis felt a twang of jealousy — he needed to be the one praising Harry. He was Harry's Dom. He patted the spot beside him and said, "Come sit beside me, love."

Harry smiled, dimpling, and headed over.

"We need to talk," Nick said, glancing at Louis, who sipped his tea.

Louis didn't mind the Dom taking charge; he knew Harry well, obviously. And besides, it was protocol for the Foster Dom, Dom, and sub to discuss what would happen next. Nick wasn't being rude.

"Harry, what would you like for to happen now?"

Harry bit his lip, seeming unsure. "I dunno," he said softly. "I really like staying here with you, Nicky, and I love Pig. But I feel like I should be with Louis, too."

Louis smiled sadly at the seemingly conflicted sub. "Harry, you can be honest."

"I am," the sub assured. He grinned cheekily, as if trying to lift the mood. "Honesty is key."

Louis chuckled. "Indeed it is."

"One important matter we need to discuss," Nick said slowly, as if he didn't want to ask the question either. But this conversation had to be done, and they all knew it. "Harry, where would you like to stay?"

Louis' heart plummeted and he waited for the sub's answer.

Harry, on the other hand, seemed confused, unsure of what Nick meant. "What?"

"Would you like for Louis to stay here with us, would you like to move in with Louis, or would you like for it to be only the two of us until you are comfortable?" Nick clarified.

Harry bit his lip.

Louis could feel his heart thumping as he dreadfully waited for the answer.

The answer made his heart plummet.

"I … I would like to stay here."


	25. Chapter 25

**WARNINGS FOR THE CHAPTER: Mention of limits, mention of kneeling, morning wood. Nothing triggering should be in this chapter. Just a lot of cute fluff XD**

* * *

Louis quite frankly felt like crying, but he knew it wouldn't be right for him to do so. There was no reason as to why Harry would one hundred percent trust him, after all. It made sense for him to want Nick. Just when he was about to sadly offer that he would go to Liam and Zayn's house, Harry spoke up again.

"I would like to stay here," Harry repeated slowly, "with Louis. All three of us."

Louis stared at him for a few seconds, confused.

Harry bit his lip at the silence. "Is that allowed?"

There was a small silence for a moment. "Well," Nick began slowly, "With my past Foster subs, I've done a bit of a mix — sometimes I let the sub stay with me until he or she feels comfortable enough to leave, or I allow the Dom and sub to move on together without my help. I've never exactly lived with both the Dom and sub together. I'm not a hundred percent sure how it'll work, but we can definitely give it a try. Why don't we go drop by the ADS building first thing tomorrow? How does that sound to you, Louis?"

"Sounds great," Louis responded. What else could he say?

"There's a spare guest bedroom for you to sleep in," Nick added.

Louis thanked the other Dom with a smile. Hopefully the unspoken tension between them would disappear soon.

"I'm hungry," Harry complained. "I want to cuddle and watch a movie with a bag of crisps!" He pouted.

"Crisps aren't a very good dinner," Nick chuckled, flashing a quick look at Louis. "How does grilled chicken and salad sound to you?"

"Sounds fine." Louis gave the thumbs-up.

Harry, on the other hand, said meaningfully, "Make sure you put kale in the salad."

Nick laughed. "Kale salad, just for you, sweetheart." He pecked a quick kiss on Harry's cheek, then grimaced when he saw Louis bristle. "Sorry, force of habit," he mouthed silently behind Harry's back, before heading off to the kitchen.

"Do you need help?" Harry called after him.

"No, I'm good," Nick called over his shoulder.

Harry was left with Louis in the living room. He gave a small smile, not knowing what to say. Louis couldn't blame him; he didn't either.

"Want to talk?" he said awkwardly, then cursed himself for sounding so boring.

"Of course," Harry agreed easily, ever the sweet sub. "What do you want to talk about? Our limits, some sexual things?" He wiggled his eyebrows confidently.

Louis chuckled. "Maybe we should leave that discussion for later," he advised fondly. "We don't want to rush into things, right?"

Harry pouted but reluctantly agreed with the Dom with a nod.

"How about you tell me about your favourite hobbies?" the Dom easily suggested, trying to hit up a casual, sweet conversation. Not everything had to be about BDSM, after all. Sometimes it was nice to just talk about normal things.

They hit up an easy conversation, much to Louis' relief, and dinner was soon ready with Nick's talented cooking skills. Louis chuckled when Pig tried to beg Nick for scraps of the food, finding her adorable. "She's so cute," he laughed.

"Not as cute as me!" Harry exclaimed, dimples popping out.

"You _are_ cute," Nick laughed. "C'mon, Haz, Louis, sit."

Dinner passed by relatively quickly and smoothly, in Louis' opinion. It seemed that Nick felt slightly apologetic about what he had said before, pulling Louis aside after playfully shoving a protesting Harry to wash the dishes. "Look, Louis, I'm sorry about what I said earlier," the Foster Dom said quietly, making sure that Harry couldn't hear. "It was rude and impolite of me."

"It's alright, I understand," Louis waved the other Dom off.

"I do get attached to my Foster subs at times, when it's not professional for me to do so," Nick admitted. "It gains experience for me when dealing with subs, which is why I thought it would be a good idea to become a Foster Dom. I can't help but get attached at times, though."

"I understand," Louis replied.

"I care for the boy, and I'm sure you do too." Nick smiled before pulling away from the other Dom to clear off the table.

Louis watched the Dom pass the rest of the dirty plates to a teasingly pouting Harry. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad here.

It was definitely a good place to start, for sure.

Harry brushed his curls, grimacing a little at the small little knots, and padded over to Nick's king-sized bed. He climbed into bed beside the Dom, pressing his cold feet against the Dom's legs as he always did.

Nick chuckled. "Hi, babe."

"Hi," Harry said shyly, dimpling.

Nick smiled at him fondly, before it faded away. "How are you doing?"

"I'm fine," Harry responded. "It's nice having Lou back."

"Mmm." Nick made a thoughtful sound. "Perhaps you should go see him," he suggested.

"See him?" Harry blinked. "I already did. I wished him goodnight."

Nick sighed and turned to his side, facing Harry and playing with his curls. "Harry," he said softly. "You need to start bonding with Louis again."

Harry frowned.

"He's your Dom; I'm not," Nick reminded. "I'm your Foster Dom."

"Same thing," Harry muttered, even though he knew it wasn't.

"No, it's not the same thing," Nick disagreed. "As your Foster Dom, I take care of you and I help the bond in between you and your actual Dom grow. There's a special bond that only a Dom and a sub can have, no one else. You two need to start working on that." Nick sighed and pecked his cheek. "How about you sleep with him tonight?"

Harry pouted slightly, playing with the covers. "But … I like sleeping with you."

Nick smiled sadly. "I know, babe, so do I. It's going to be hard for both of us, suddenly switching everything we've grown accustomed to. Especially for you. Subs take it harder than Doms do, since you crave order and a regular schedule."

"Do I have to?" Harry sighed.

Nick frowned. "Babes, if you really don't want to, it's fine. You can safeword or tell me no right now, and this discussion will end. But although it's my job as your Foster Dom to help try and develop that bond, you also need to play a part in it. You need to try and form that bond again. It won't form without any effort."

Harry remained silent for a few moments before biting his lip and saying, "Okay. I'll give it a try."

Nick smiled. "Good lad. You're a good boy."

"I know I am." Harry kissed the Foster Dom on the cheek and whispered, "G'night."

"Night, Harry. Have a good sleep. And if you can't sleep, you're always welcome to come back here."

Harry smiled and nodded before slipping out of the bed, closing the door behind him. As he padded to Louis' bedroom — the guest bedroom — he fell deep into thought. What Nick had said was correct. He had to start forming that bond with Louis again. And nothing was stopping him; he really did want to. It was just hard.

 _Everything keeps changing in my life,_ Harry thought slightly resentfully. Why couldn't he just have a normal life? Why did everything have to be so hard?

He blinked, realizing that he had been standing outside of the guest bedroom and staring at the plain, white door for minutes. He took a deep breath and reached out, then knocked twice.

There was a small pause before Louis replied. "Come in!"

Harry opened the door and peeked in before stepping inside. "Hi," he said bashfully.

Louis, who had been sitting on the bed in his boxers, broke into a smile. "Hazza," he greeted. "Do you need something?"

 _You,_ Harry thought silently, but the reply that came out of his mouth was, "I was wondering if I could sleep with you." There was a small pause and Harry began to panic, wondering if Louis didn't want that. "Of course, we don't have to if you don't want to," he added hastily. "I just thought—"

"I don't mind," Louis interrupted, eyes softening at the obviously nervous sub in front of him. "Come here." He patted the spot on the bed next to him.

Harry smiled and climbed onto the bed. "Thought you might not want to," he said shyly.

Louis chuckled. "No, I do. I just wasn't expecting _you_ to want to sleep together."

"I do," Harry assured. "And Nick highly suggests it, too. To begin rebuilding our bond and all that."

"You don't have to do this, Haz," Louis said quietly, reaching out and brushing Harry's cheek tenderly with a finger. "You can go ahead and sleep with Nick. I won't mind, or take it personally."

Harry knew that he could agree with Louis, and go right on ahead back to Nick. But Nick's words rang in his head — nothing would progress between them if he didn't try. Besides, it was just Louis. "Louis, _I_ _want to_ ," he said firmly. "Now shut up."

Louis' lips quirked up into a smile and he murmured huskily, "Don't think that's how you speak to your Dom properly."

Harry's breathing hitched and his heart jumped. He swallowed and hoarsely replied, "It is when your Dom is being stupid."

Louis chuckled. "You're sassy." The skin next to his eyes crinkled as he smiled.

Harry struggled to get his breathing back under control as Louis watched on in amusement.

"You're so adorable," Louis laughed. He grasped the covers and pulled them up, covering both his and Harry's body. He shifted a little and asked, "Would you feel more comfortable if I put clothes on?"

"No, it's okay," Harry replied after a moment's thought. Louis shirtless wasn't anything new, of course. They had slept like this every night before. He figured it was just Louis checking to make sure that he was comfortable with everything, and that reassured him.

He mustered up some confidence and cuddled into Louis. The Dom made a delighted but surprised sound. "Forgot how much of a cuddler my Hazza is," he chuckled.

"Your cuddler," Harry mumbled, resting his head on Louis' chest and hearing the steady heartbeat of the Dom. "Missed you."

"So did I."

"You know," Harry said, breaking off his sentence to let out a yawn. He heard Louis chuckle fondly, and smiled. "We're probably going to wake up tomorrow morning all tangled up."

"I can't wait until we get to start our mornings together," Louis commented with a small smile. "Properly, I mean." He sighed, a bit wistfully.

"How would it start?"

Louis blinked, not understanding the question. "What?"

"How would our morning start, if it was just us?" Harry repeated, a tad impatiently.

Louis smiled gently. "Well," he said with a chuckle. "The day would start everyday with me getting to look at your beautiful face."

Harry groaned. "Louis!" he complained.

Louis grinned cheekily. "Oh, alright," he laughed. "It would start with us washing up, and perhaps a morning shower occasionally. Then you would kneel at my side for a bit while I sit there and admire your beauty, running my fingers through your damp curls — I've got a bit of a thing for that, just to let you know."

Harry let out a giggle at the not-so-subtle hint.

"Very manly," Louis teased with a chuckle. "Then perhaps I'd choose your clothes for the day. Only the best for my little princess. Then we'd do any other activities required by us that day."

"Sounds like just about heaven," Harry teased good-naturedly.

Louis smiled. "It definitely will be like it," he agreed. "It's getting late. We should sleep if we want to wake up early tomorrow."

"Well, who said I wanted to wake up early tomorrow?" Harry stuck his tongue out cheekily. "But if you say so. Since you're my Dom and all."

"Yeah, I am." Louis smiled and reached over to switch the lamp off. "Good night, Hazza."

"Good night," Harry murmured.

He shifted and turned and tossed for a bit until he couldn't help it, cuddling against Louis on his side. There was a small pause. Then, Harry felt an arm wrap around his stomach, and Louis spooned him from the side.

Harry smiled and let his eyes fall shut, falling asleep to the feeling of Louis' fingers running gently through his curls.

When Harry woke up, he squinted blearily at the clock on the nightstand. It was eight in the morning. He let out a small groan, shifting and ready to go back to sleep when he felt _it_.

Louis' morning wood was pressing against his bum.

Harry bit his lip, unsure of what to do. He opted for waking the Dom up. "Louis," he whispered. "Lou."

The Dom woke up, making a small noise, obviously confused. "Hmm?" He yawned and stretched, a few bones cracking at the movement.

"You're, um …" Harry was unable to finish his sentence, just biting his lip even more.

Louis seemed to come to his senses, and realized the situation they were in. He rolled away from Harry, stretching again. Then he redirected his gaze to Harry and groaned, "Don't do that. You're a right tease."

"What?" Harry frowned, confused, before flushing when he realized. "Oh, sorry. It's a habit." He released his bottom lip from his teeth.

"You're too beautiful, Harry Styles," Louis complained good-naturedly. "Making me wake up hard, hm? Is that gonna happen every morning because of you?" he teased.

"Not my fault!" Harry spluttered. "I don't control your dick." He then swallowed hard when Louis pulled the covers off, seeing the Dom only in boxers — tight boxers. "I could, uh, take care of it for you?" Harry licked his lips, looking up at Louis through his lashes. "I can be good. Let me please you." He didn't know where this was coming from, but he definitely did know that he was desperate to be praised, to be called a good boy. He needed to please his Dom right now.

He reached his hands out, making a move to pull Louis' boxers down, when the Dom smacked his hands lightly. Harry pouted, drawing back, slightly hurt. "I can please you," he pouted pitifully.

Louis sighed, looking at him. "You _will_ please me," the Dom agreed. "Eventually, you will. But it isn't right for anything to happen now. We've barely gotten back together, Haz. I'm not going to rush this and mess things up like I did before."

Harry dropped his eyes. "Yeah, okay," he said quietly.

Louis reached out and held Harry's face in his hands, rubbing his thumbs lightly on Harry's cheeks. "It's all for the better," he promised.

"I get it," Harry replied. "Can I … can you at least …" He flushed and broke off.

"Hmm? What do you need, babe?" Louis asked with a fond chuckle.

"Kiss me," Harry whispered. "I want you to kiss me. Please, Lou. Need you to kiss me. Please." He was desperately craving touches from his Dom.

Louis drew closer, and their lips brushed against each other, developing into a deep, soft kiss dominated by Louis. They broke apart, both breathing heavily. Louis brushed his thumb on Harry's lower lip. "You're beautiful. My beautiful boy." The blue-eyed Dom kissed him one more time before pulling away and heading off to the bathroom to take a shower.

Harry stared after him dazedly.

Louis came out of the shower fifteen minutes later, looking alert and and happy. He chuckled when he saw Harry still sitting there with his bed hair. He laughed and said, "Get up, Hazza."

"Don't want to," Harry pouted, though he got out of bed. He brushed his teeth and washed up, tousling his curls before walking out of the loo when satisfied with his appearance. He was surprised and absolutely delighted to see a shirt, jeans, and a pair of socks on the bed. He turned around and grinned at Louis. "You picked out my clothes for me?" he said with a squeal.

Louis' lips quirked upwards. "Yes, Harry, I did. You seem happy with my decision to do so."

"Immensely happy," Harry agreed, stripping off his pyjamas and picking up the clothes. He changed into them, beaming over the fact that Louis had chosen his clothes for him. He looked at himself in the mirror.

He was dressed in a pair of black skinny jeans, gray socks, and a pink shirt with white polka dots. The grin wouldn't leave his face.

"I'm definitely going to have to do that everyday if you're so happy with it now," Louis mentioned as he opened the bedroom door. "I think Nick already has breakfast ready."

"Oooh, bacon!" Harry grinned at the smell, bounding down the stairs.

He saw Nick, and barrelled into the Dom with a giggle.

"Oof!" The Dom staggered back, the breath leaving his chest, and laughed. "Good morning, sunshine. Someone's happy today. Did you have a good sleep?" He pecked Harry on the cheek.

"It was wonderful." Harry beamed.

"See? I was right," Nick teased, ruffling Harry's hair. He passed Harry a plate, asking, "And how was sleeping with Louis?"

"Great, actually," Harry responded. "Did miss you, though. Missed my Nicky cuddles." He giggled.

Nick hummed. "I'm sure Louis cuddles made up for it."

Louis appeared in the kitchen. "Breakfast smells good," he mentioned.

"Thanks." Nick smiled.

Harry sat himself down at the table, Nick sitting down next to him and resuming in eating his own plate of food. Louis sat down across from Harry, digging in immediately and making small noises of appreciation as he ate.

"Amazing, Nick," he commented.

"Thanks," Nick replied with a grin. He swallowed his mouthful and said, "So, I was thinking that we could go to the ADS building after we finish our meal. The earlier we go, the less busier it is."

"You don't have to go to work?" Harry asked.

"Nope," Nick responded. "It's a valid reason to not be able to go to the radio today. I've already discussed it with everyone."

Harry hummed in response.

The trio finished breakfast soon enough and Harry patted Pig's head. "Bye, Piggy," he said, planting a kiss to the dog's head. "See you later."

The dog whined in complaint at being left alone, but watched as they left the house.

As Harry got into the car, he couldn't help but dread what would happen next. Would the three of them be able to stay in the same house for a period of time? If they weren't, Harry wasn't sure what to do. He needed both Nick and Louis, not just one of them.

"Good, Hazza?" Louis smiled at him.

"Yeah, fine," Harry responded with a tight smile. "Just a bit nervous, I guess."

"Don't be," Nick said as he pulled out of the driveway. "Everything will work out in the end."

"Yeah," Harry agreed. "Hopefully."


	26. Chapter 26

**WARNINGS FOR THE CHAPTER: blowjobs. Don't think there's any specific warnings :)**

* * *

The car pulled up in the parking lot of the ADS building, and Harry inhaled deeply. He prayed that at least Liam or Zayn would handle this situation. He didn't want any other worker to be helping them with their current predicament. Besides, they personally knew the two Doms. Harry had a hint of hope that they would be willing to bend the rules a bit if they had to.

"Why are you so nervous, love?"

Harry pouted. "'m not."

"Yes, you are," Nick countered, not unkindly. "It's written all over your face."

Harry just scowled. He couldn't help but feel a bit nervous. He really did want to live with both Nick and Louis. He needed both of them.

He grimaced when he heard a few hissed whispers and turned around, only for his eyesight to be attacked with multiple flashes. There were loud yells from the paps as they madly clicked away on their cameras.

"Forgot about this," Louis commented with a grimace. "We should have known that the paps would go crazy at the sight of Nick Grimshaw and Harry and I added together."

"Ah, right." Nick winced at the loud yells. "Forgot that the paps are always after you as well. C'mon, let's hurry."

The two Doms both pulled Harry to the middle, making sure that he was safe. The three of them hurried towards the building as fast as possible, keeping their heads down and ignoring all the yelling and flashes.

They finally entered the building and thankfully, security warded off the paps.

Harry sighed heavily, his ears ringing from the loud yells. Honestly, he wasn't even sure why he and Louis were always attacked by the paps. They were just friends with Liam and Zayn.

They strode up to the front desk, ignoring most of the whispers and stares they were getting. Harry smiled at Nick when the Dom tousled his hair playfully, while Louis walked forward."We'd like to see Mr. Payne or Mr. Malik please," he said politely to the lady.

"Do you have an appointment?"

Louis glanced back at Harry and Nick. "Well, no," he started uneasily. "But—"

She scoffed. "Mr. Payne and Mr. Malik are very busy men. They are not people who you can simply walk up to and request their presence. Please return when you have an appointment."

"Please, just ring them and let them know that it's a Louis Tomlinson wanting to see them."

The lady rolled her eyes but pressed a few buttons and said, "Yes, Mr. Payne. I'm sorry to disturb you, but there's a Louis Tomlinson waiting for you, Sir. However, he has no appointment and I can call security if we—"

"Louis Tomlinson?"

Harry grinned at the sound of Liam's voice. He was positive that Liam and Zayn would allow them to do what they wanted.

"Yes, Sir. I can—"

"Send him up, please, Sally." The call ended.

Harry had to stifle a giggle at the look of indignance on Sally's face as she muttered, "Floor 13. Last door to your left. Mr. Malik is in a meeting at the moment so you will have to settle for Mr. Payne."

"Well, she was rude," Nick commented as they entered the elevator.

"You should report her to Liam," Harry spoke to Louis. "She was a bitch."

"Language," Louis reprimanded. "And no, I won't. It's not worth my time. Besides, people like her will get fired eventually anyway if they keep carrying on like that."

The elevator dinged, signaling that they had arrived on the 13th floor.

"Last door to the left?" Nick checked as they strode through the halls.

"You're going too fast," Harry huffed, struggling to keep up with the two Doms' long steps.

"Sorry, Haz." Louis and Nick both slowed down, accommodating the speed of their steps to Harry's speed.

Harry bumped into Louis and grinned at him apologetically. He reached out and knocked on the door.

"Come in!" Liam called.

Harry allowed Nick to be the one to open the door, standing back. He smiled when Louis wrapped an arm around his shoulders. They shut the door behind them and turned to face the CEO.

"Great to see you again," Louis said brightly, breaking into a broad grin at the sight of the brown-haired Dom.

"Sit down, please." Liam tipped his head to the two chairs lined up, then out of nowhere, snapped loudly, "Sam!"

A man with blond, slightly wavy hair immediately rushed over. "Yes, Mr. Payne?"

Harry could tell just by his stance that Sam was a sub and his thoughts momentarily drifted to wondering how it would be to work under a large company with both Doms and subs. Surely, it would be hard labour.

"Bring me another chair."

Sam hurriedly did so, placing a chair down and wiped the sweat from his brow. "Anything else, Mr. Payne?"

"No." Liam waved a hand dismissively. "Go and clear up my personal schedule and redo it, please. James probably fucked it up again. Not a single mistake, Sam, or you're fired. Do you understand me?"

"Of course, Mr. Payne." The man rushed out, new beads of sweat forming on his brow as he did so. Harry couldn't help but feel a small twinge of sympathy for the man.

"Harsh day?" Nick asked cautiously.

"Very," Liam replied in a clipped tone. "Why are you here?"

Harry saw Nick and Louis exchange looks and he winced, deciding that staying quiet would be best. He didn't want to say anything wrong. Thankfully, Louis answered.

"We need to discuss the current situation we have at the moment."

"Which is?" Liam laced his fingers and stared at them steadily.

"Oh, c'mon, Li, you know what it is." Louis chuckled and rolled his eyes. "Isn't it clear enough?"

Liam just stared.

Harry grimaced again. It was far too awkward. He just wanted to get out and cuddle with Nick — and Louis. He furrowed his brow. Would that be odd to the two Doms? So far, he'd only imagined it in his head, too scared to speak up lest they gave him judgmental looks. Would that also be awkward?

"Oh, alright." Louis huffed in frustration and opened his mouth to spell it out for Liam, but Nick beat him to it.

"We have a proposition — a solution — for the case we have at the moment which includes the sub's needs."

"Elucidate."

"As you know, Louis—"

"Mr. Tomlinson, yes." Liam raised a brow slightly.

Nick seemed to get the hint. "As you know, _Mr. Tomlinson_ has been gone for over a year. But now that he has returned, it is time for Mr. Styles and Mr. Tomlinson to reform their bond as Dominant and submissive."

"Indeed." Liam seemed to be refraining from rolling his eyes. "Mr. Grimshaw. I am a busy man. I do not appreciate useless babbling or any of the sort. So please, lord save us all, get to the point."

Harry winced for what seemed to be the third time now since they had entered the office. Liam must've had an extremely hard day to be this … aggressive.

Nick continued on smoothly and Harry admired the Foster Dom for doing so. If it were him speaking, he would've broken down already. "It is the submissive's wish for me, as the Foster Dom, to stay and … help encourage that relationship to grow."

"And?" Liam wasn't even bothering to hide his irritation now.

"Oh for god's sake, Liam," Louis interrupted with a roll of his eye. "You know exactly where this is heading. Get your head out of your arse."

Liam stared.

"I want to stay with both of them," Harry jumped in, unable to stop himself. "Is that possible?"

Liam blinked slowly once, then again. "You … would like to stay with _both_ your Foster Dom and your Dominant?"

"I …" Harry trailed off, uncertain of what to say. Was Liam mad? He seemed pretty pissed.

"Yes," Nick said firmly. "Yes. That's exactly it."

"Is it allowed?" Harry asked nervously. His heart practically dropped to his stomach when Liam didn't answer straight away. He bit his lip and scratched at his arm, trying to distract himself and bracing himself for the blunt answer of 'no.'

"Haz." Louis placed a hand on Harry's hand that was scratching at his skin. "Don't do that, love."

"Sorry." Harry pulled his hand away and smiled when Louis grasped his hand in his own, squeezing it. He wasn't sure if it was to prevent him from continuing to scratch, or if it was to provide him comfort. Either way, he didn't mind — he liked the physical contact he had with Louis; it made him feel safe. It made him feel like he was home. _Louis brings me home_ , he thought, gazing into Louis' bright blue eyes. _You bring me home._ Home was a safe place — the safest place there could be.

Louis smiled back at him softly before turning back to the CEO in front of them. "Leeyum, mate," he chided. "C'mon. Do a favour for your mate."

"I will check for you if it's possible for the three of you, as Foster Dominant, Dominant, and submissive to stay together." Liam's tone was as curt as ever, calling a few people and typing a few things on his computer. At least half an hour had passed in silence before Liam finally turned back to them. He stared at them again and Harry couldn't help but find the way Liam was behaving quite unnerving.

"So?" Louis drummed his fingers on his knee, making sure he still held Harry's hand, which Harry appreciated. It really was helping him stay calm.

"You can stay together."

Harry breathed a sigh of relief at the news, a breath that he hadn't realized he was holding. He could just faint right there and then.

"But—" Liam raised his voice, and Harry froze, the happiness he had momentarily felt quickly fading away. "In consideration of your current situation, it is quite rare that a Foster Dom would stay with the matched couple. However, it is not impossible. The law states that Mr. Grimshaw may stay with Mr. Tomlinson and Mr. Styles for two weeks, and _only_ two weeks. No more time other than those fourteen days are permitted."

"Of course." Nick smiled. "Thank you."

Liam just gave a nod back before stating, "You'll have to fill some forms out before you leave. And Mr. Tomlinson, I'd like a word with you alone if possible." His tone made it clear it wasn't a suggestion.

"Alright." Louis nodded.

Harry frowned at the papers that were passed to him. Liam pointed out the lines in which he was to sign, and he did so, scribbling his signature quickly on it after scanning the papers, which consisted of information of how the Foster Dom would leave the Dominant and submissive alone after two weeks, and how it was the Dominant's and submissive's responsibility to start to bond again.

Everything had gone well in his opinion and he was just desperate to get home now. He wanted to have some quality time alone with Louis. He'd missed him after not being able to see him for more than a year. He felt a little guilty when he realized he couldn't forget Nick, but he was sure that the Foster Dom would understand — his role was to help Harry settle in with Louis, after all, and he would appreciate Harry making an effort … right?

Liam finished off the papers with his own signature, scrawling it down on all of the sheets easily, then put them in their separate files. "Excellent."

Harry smiled and said, "Say hello to Niall for me. And Zayn."

"Of course," Liam agreed. He seemed to be in a much lighter mood than before, which was relieving. But then again, Harry couldn't be too sure. Liam had always been hard to read. "Come and visit us soon," Liam offered.

Harry grinned and nodded, feeling Nick cup a hand on the back of his neck. The Foster Dom led him out, closing the door quietly behind them, and sighed. "That went better than expected."

"Yeah," Harry agreed. "I'm glad."

"All the nerves piling up have gone to my bladder," Nick groaned and Harry burst into a fit of giggles at the Foster Dom's blunt words. "I'm going to use the loo."

"I don't need to, so I'll stay," Harry said.

"Be careful," Nick said, seeming worried for him. "If anything happens, call for me or Louis."

"Okay, okay." Harry stick his tongue out. It wasn't like anything was actually going to happen. He watched the Foster Dom hurry towards the loo before gazing at the closed office door.

He hesitated for a split second before he stepped forward and unable to resist, he crept towards the door and leaned in. It hadn't originally been his intention to eavesdrop, but he couldn't help it. It was just too tempting. Besides, if he was caught, he'd be punished by either Nick or Louis, and he knew it would be Louis to punish him. And honestly speaking, to him, getting punished by Louis didn't sound too bad — as long as the Dom had changed from before and was able to finish through with a punishment. A shiver ran down his spine when he, sure enough, heard them talking.

"...your last opportunity this time," Liam was saying.

"I know." Louis sounded … defeated? "I will. I promise."

"I swear, Louis, if you mess up _again_ —"

"I won't!" Louis snapped, and Harry flinched at the angry sound of his Dom. "I'm not going to, Liam!"

"I know you won't." Liam sighed so loudly that even Harry could hear him through the door. "I'm sorry I'm being harsh, Lou, but can't you see? I can't help you any more after this. If you fail again, I won't be able to do anything, and I'm the goddamned CEO! You'll be sent to—"

Harry pulled back from the door and bit his lip, not wanting to hear anymore of the discussion. He didn't want to find out what would happen to Louis if he and Harry couldn't be compatible as a Matched Dom and sub couple.

"You alright, Harry?"

Harry jumped.

"You look like you've seen a ghost." Nick frowned. "You alright? You seem a bit peaky."

"I'm fine," Harry replied, perhaps a little too quickly. "I'm okay." He smiled, trying to reassure the concerned Dom.

Nick left it at that, though his brow remained furrowed, seeming bewildered by Harry's odd behaviour.

Louis appeared from Liam's office in less than five minutes. He seemed exhausted, which was strange considering they'd only had a discussion.

 _A discussion of all the consequences if this doesn't work,_ a voice chided.

"What did Liam say?" Nick asked as they began walking down the corridor back to the elevator.

"Oh, nothing much." Louis just smiled and shrugged, and Nick seemed to get the hint, not pressuring the Dom any further for answers. "I'm starving. We spent 2 hours crammed up in that office. We should order takeout for lunch."

Harry grinned and nodded. "Definitely." He took Louis's offered hand in his own, blushing bashfully when Louis squeezed it gently again, trying to forget all he'd heard in Liam and Louis' discussion.

However, the only words echoing in his head were, _we've got to make this work._

They didn't have another choice.

* * *

When work finished, Liam yanked open the door, let it slam shut — which he usually despised (Niall always got chewed out by Liam for slamming doors), and set down his bag. He was grateful to see Zayn already seated on the couch. He needed to talk to someone. He was in desperate need to become unstressed.

"Fuck." Liam practically threw himself onto the couch and groaned, slapping himself on the face multiple times. "Fuck."

"What's wrong?" Zayn, who had been on his phone, looked slightly alarmed as he closed out of Twitter and sat up straighter. He knew Liam was wound up tightly when he swore. The Dom rarely cussed.

"Work." Liam didn't move.

"I know, it was especially tough today," Zayn said sympathetically. "The meeting was so stressful, you have no idea. Those ambassadors were damn annoying."

"They always are," Liam huffed and rolled his eyes.

"What else?" Zayn asked. He knew that the only way to destress Liam was to talk to him.

"People."

"Oh, god," Zayn groaned. "Who was it this time? I swear, if it's Stephen causing trouble again—"

"No," Liam interrupted. "Not the employees. They were fine today — well, not really. They were little shites again. Like always. But there's than that. It was just … the meetings I had to do today."

"Oh." Zayn sounded sympathetic. "Did you have to settle some matchmaking problems again?"

"Problems," Liam muttered. "Yeah. Problems."

"Were they … solved?" Zayn asked warily. He wasn't exactly sure if he wanted to hear the answer.

"Yeah." Liam groaned again and rolled his shoulders. His muscles were tightly bunched up, probably from spending hours and hours hunched up at his desk.

"I brought some tea for you." Niall popped up out of nowhere with two cups of tea, making both Doms jump.

"Thank you, sweetheart," Zayn murmured, accepting the tea. "Although next time, please don't scare us like that."

Niall giggled. "Sorry." He passed Liam the tea, and the Dom muttered a 'thanks' to the sub. Niall immediately dropped to his knees and said, "I can help you."

"Can you?" Liam gazed down at his sub, sipping the tea. He let out a small sound of appreciation as the hot liquid slid down his throat.

"Mhm." Niall reached forward and unbuttoned Liam's pants, sliding them down. He leaned in and took Liam's cock into his mouth, sucking eagerly at the tip before going down further.

"So good, baby," Liam groaned as Niall's mouth did magic on him. It was wonder he didn't spill his tea.

As Niall sucked eagerly, Zayn continued his investigation. "What's wrong, Liam?"

"Ugh! It's Louis!" Liam took a sip of his tea, glowering out of the window, obviously trying not to spill the tea everywhere. Niall's goal, on the other hand, seemed to be to make Liam spill his drink.

"Li, you've got to talk; I can't help if you don't — what?" Zayn blinked, flabbergasted.

"Louis fucking Tomlinson," Liam growled. "He's back."

"Is that a … bad thing?" Zayn asked cautiously.

There was a small silence before Liam sighed. "No, I suppose it isn't."

"Then what's the matter?" Zayn licked his lips nervously. He was practically bombarding Liam with questions now; it almost felt like more of an interrogation rather than a discussion.

"He's just … back." Liam stared into his tea, though his grip trembled unsteadily as Niall kept sucking, head bobbing. "He's back after a year and — fuck!" He shoved his tea into Zayn's grasp and groaned, grasping Niall's blond hair in his hands and tugging firmly. "So good, Ni."

Niall hummed, seeming smug, and Liam's hips involuntarily thrusted upwards, making the blond sub choke. It was the last straw for Liam — when he felt Niall's throat spasm, he moaned and came without any warning. Niall easily swallowed it down and pulled off of Liam's cock with an obscene 'pop.'

"Amazing, babe," Liam murmured, eyes closing as he loosened his grip on Niall's hair. He made no move to indicate that Niall could move from his knees, so the sub remained on the floor, shivering in delight whenever Liam scratched lightly at his scalp.

"You're just stressed," Zayn told Liam knowingly. "All this work is making you more sensitive than you usually are. Bring Louis back on top of that, and, well—"

"Yeah." Liam sighed through his nose. "I just hope Louis does well with Harry this time. It's his last chance."

"He will," Zayn assured. "Won't he, Ni?"

The blond sub nodded, pressing a kiss to each of Liam's knuckle, making an effort to help destress his Dom. "Everything will be okay."

Liam finally broke into a smile. "I love you — both of you."

"We know," Zayn said smugly, making Liam emit a huff of laughter. "Now c'mere, Ni. It's my turn." The dark-haired Dom placed both cups of tea onto the table next to them and took his cock out, stroking it lazily as Niall crawled over. "Mouth open."

* * *

The trio entered the house, greeted by Pig's excited yips as she jumped on them, wagging her tail.

"Yes, Pig, we missed you too," Harry laughed, petting the overexcited dog.

"I ordered takeout, by the way," Nick said. "Chinese. Hope that's okay with you two."

"That's perfectly fine," Louis assured, Harry nodding along. "We can discuss everything that needs to be considered while eating."

"What needs to be discussed?" Harry asked with a frown, puzzled.

"Oh, Harry." Louis smirked, Nick chuckling at Louis' reaction.

"What?" Harry pouted, feeling like he was missing out on something — which he definitely was.

"We're back to me being your Dom and you being my sub, Harry," Louis stated patiently. "What do you think needs to be properly discussed now?"

It hit him and Harry felt stupid for not realizing it earlier. "Oh," he said dumbly.

"Yes." Louis chuckled. "You're so adorable."

Harry grinned bashfully, blushing. Before he could say anything in reply, though, the doorbell rang, making Harry jump.

"That must be the takeout," Nick said.

"I can get it," Harry offered. He knew to others it would look like he was just being polite, but honestly speaking, it wasn't even about manners. He just wanted to show Louis how much of a good sub he could be.

"No, it's fine." Nick waved him off. "You two can start; I'll join in a sec."

"Alright." Louis nodded. He sat down on the couch and smiled. "Ready, Harry?"

Harry nodded, shivers running down in anticipation. They were just going to discuss rules, punishments, limits, and all, but to Harry, it was more than that. It meant their relationship was actually going to start progressing now.

"Kneel for me."


	27. Chapter 27

**WARNINGS FOR THE CHAPTER: Kneeling, mention of Daddy kink, mention of Ageplay, mention of punishment, protective Louis :D, mention of emetophilia (kink of vomiting), discussion of limits/kinks.**

* * *

Harry shivered and knelt down submissively. He felt Louis' gaze on him and held his breath, wondering if he was doing something wrong — he just wanted to be perfect for his Dom.

"You are so beautiful on your knees," Louis breathed, tangling his fingers in the curls and gently running his fingers through them. "I'm never going to get sick of saying that."

Harry blushed at Louis' words. "Thank you," he said softly, feeling a bit shy.

Nick appeared with the takeout, setting them down on the table in front of them. "Are we going to eat and then have a discussion?"

"We might as well eat while discussing; it saves time," Louis suggested.

They opened up the packages and Harry glanced up at Louis, uncertain of what to do. The Dom had told him to kneel, so he wasn't sure whether he was allowed to sit up on the couch next to Nick and Louis.

"I'll feed you, babe," Louis assured with a chuckle, cutting a spring roll in half. "We won't let you starve." He brought his hand down to Harry's mouth with the spring roll in between his fingers.

Harry reached out and took the food from Louis' hand, blushing. He decided that perhaps showing Louis how eager he was to please would help his situation. He lightly sucked on Louis' fingers while looking up adoringly, pretending to be licking off the crumbs on Louis' fingers.

Louis chuckled, knowing what Harry was doing, but didn't comment on it, bringing the other half of the spring roll down.

"Let's talk about necessary expectations first," Nick suggested. "Then we'll move onto everything else."

Louis made a sound of agreement.

"Okay." Harry smiled and looked up at Louis, adorably doe-eyed.

"Every evening, we're going to have a period of time where you'll be kneeling and we'll be talking with each other," Louis stated. "I want to know how your day went; it's good to just sit and talk with each other at times."

"Okay," Harry said. "Sir." He saw Louis smile at the title and silently made a note to call Louis that again. It seemed the Dom liked it.

"Every evening at nine o'clock, for our conversation, I'm going to be in my office," Louis continued. "I expect you to arrive to my office _on time._ I do not expect you to be tardy; I have high expectations. You will have taken a shower unless I specifically tell you otherwise, and I expect your hair to be damp. It relaxes me to see that my boy is clean, and I would very much enjoy running my fingers through your hair."

"Of course," Harry said with a bright smile.

"You're such a good boy," Louis crooned.

"I can already tell that you're going to be my amazing good boy."

Harry preened underneath the praise and straightened up even more if possible while kneeling. He _needed_ to please Louis and show him how good he was.

"Do you have any specific titles that you'd like to call me?" Louis asked.

Harry blinked, trying to figure out if this was a test or not.

Louis' eyes flashed with amusement. "Not a test, baby," he assured with a chuckle.

Harry bit his lip bashfully. "Um, maybe just your name? And whatever else you want," he said hesitantly after he swallowed his food that, of course, Louis had fed to him.

"Alright, princess." Louis chuckled. "Whatever you'd like to call me is fine. Don't be afraid to tell me anything; there's no judgment."

Harry nodded, realizing what Louis was getting at, and he nearly swooned in admiration. The Dom was hinting to Harry that he didn't have to hide anything he wanted to do or any kinks. If Harry wanted to call Louis 'Sir,' he would be allowed to do so. If Harry wanted to call Louis 'Daddy,' he would be allowed to.

"Maybe I could call you 'Sir' when I'm in trouble and getting punished? And 'Daddy' when — I mean, if — we ever try ageplay again. Um, we don't have to if you don't want to," Harry added hastily.

"Hey, hey," Louis interrupted gently. "It's okay, Haz. I'm perfectly fine with all of those titles, and engaging in Ageplay. There's nothing to be ashamed or worried about, yeah?" He petted Harry's hair softly, slipping more food into Harry's mouth.

"Okay," Harry breathed, closing his eyes in appreciation. He felt like a little boy receiving the sex talk from his parents at the moment. Not exactly the best feeling in the world.

"He's shy," Nick chuckled. "It's adorable."

"Mm." Louis pressed a kiss to Harry's forehead, rubbing his thumb on the curly-haired lad's cheek affectionately. "Moving on. When you want to ask a question, I do expect you to phrase it eloquently and respectfully. I want you to be careful and precise in your choice of wording, especially in public."

"Okay," Harry murmured. "I can do that." He smiled up at Louis.

"Of course you can," Louis agreed. "My sweet boy can do anything if he makes an effort. Which brings us to my next expectation — when I give you a task, an assignment, a chore, or anything, I expect you to complete it to the best of your abilities."

"That's a good expectation," Nick agreed from where he was watching Harry shiver warmly underneath Louis' gaze. "I agree with it. You should always try your best in everything."

"I will," Harry promised, biting his lip. Ever since Louis had returned, his need to please was increasing by the second.

"When we are walking outside in public, I want you one step in front of me or right beside me. I want to be physically making contact with you as well." At Harry's furrowed brow, Louis elaborated. "You know how it gets when we're out in public with all the paparazzi, especially if we're with Zayn and Liam, or even Nick here." Nick smiled slightly dolefully, nodding his head in agreement. "I want to keep you safe and near me," Louis finished. "Who knows what those paps will do?"

"Alright," Harry said. He blushed and murmured, "Thank you for explaining."

"Of course, baby." Louis smiled down at the still-kneeling Harry. "Are your knees hurting from kneeling too long?"

"No, I'm okay," Harry replied.

Nick frowned. "Are you sure, Harry? It's been a while since you've knelt so much." Nick had never really made Harry kneel for more than half an hour at the most, and it had definitely passed thirty minutes by now.

"I'm fine," Harry insisted. "'m a good boy."

"I know you are, sweets," Louis responded, the skin by his eyes crinkling as he grinned. "But you can still be a good boy even if you're not kneeling. I need you to be honest and healthy, not injured or in pain. That's another one of your expectations and rules — always be truthful. So, would you like to come sit up on the couch?"

Harry pouted. "Just a little bit longer?" he begged. He loved the feeling of kneeling by Louis; it made him feel loved.

"Alright, love," Louis relented. "But the moment your knees start hurting, you can tell me."

Harry nodded. "M'kay."

"I'm going to be getting a job."  
Harry's head jerked up. "What?" He frowned.

"A job, Hazza," Louis repeated gently. "We can't always rely on Liam and Zayn to be paying for everything. Besides, it's a bit of a pride issue."

"This isn't because of tabloids, right?" Harry checked. "Because those are full of crap."

"No, sweetums, it isn't because of them," Louis murmured, playing with Harry's curls, the food finished by now, leaving all of their stomachs satisfyingly full. "I just feel that it's the right thing to do." He chuckled as he added, "Can't always be a lazy couch potato lying around. Besides, it'll only be for three days of the week, from noon until five in the evening. I can quit whenever I need to as well."

"You already found one?" Even Nick sounded curious now.

"They were looking for people to hire at the grocery store nearby," Louis replied. "They were offering a fair amount of money, too. Turns out they only need someone for Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays. Then I'll be free for the rest of the week with my little Hazza!" Louis beamed down at the sub. "I didn't confirm with them yet because I wanted to check with you, Haz."

Harry grinned. "I guess that's fine," he admitted. "It's only three days of the week for five hours, too."

"Great." Louis sounded pleased.

Harry frowned, a question coming to mind. "So will I be going with you or Nick to work, then?" he asked. His frown deepened when he saw Louis and Nick exchange a glance. "What is it?" He was dreading the answer.

"Babes, Louis and I decided that it's time for you to gradually stop from appearing on the radio," Nick said slowly, obviously trying to gently break the news to Harry.

"What? Why?" Harry stared, dismayed.

"We think it's best for you, sweets," Louis stated kindly. "You don't need any more publicity or fame than you already have, the paps trail you enough. Appearing on the radio could put you into bigger danger."

Harry didn't say anything before he muttered to Louis, "Then will I be going with you?"

"You would stay home," Louis answered slowly. "Nick leaves early in the morning and returns by noon; when he returns, I'd leave for work—"

"No," Harry said immediately, feeling irritated now.

"Harry, don't interrupt," Nick reprimanded. "That's rude."

The curly-haired sub glowered.

"Don't throw a tantrum," Nick warned.

Harry just scoffed and opened his mouth to speak, but Louis beat him to it.

"Haz, what about this makes you so upset?" the Dom confronted gently. "Talk to us."

"I don't want you to leave," Harry pouted. "I want you both here." He knew Louis and Nick were exchanging a glance and he frowned, tucking his knuckles underneath his kneecaps. They hurt from kneeling so much, but he liked it. If he told Louis, the Dom would make him stop, so he wasn't planning on telling him. He loved feeling so submissive for Louis.

"I know, sweetheart," Nick finally responded, not unsympathetically. "I wish we could all just stay together. But it's good to have some time alone with only Louis."

"You don't even have to work," Harry huffed at Louis. "There's already a shit ton of money in Nick's hands, and Liam and Zayn's."

"Harry!" Louis sounded astounded. "That's no reason to slack off!"

Harry scoffed. "You can slack off when you have the freedom to do so."

"We will not be wasting anyone's money or become charity cases," Louis responded sharply, dominance seeping into his voice. "And mind your language."

Harry wilted. "Okay." He stared at the floor, slightly ashamed by his behaviour now. He had wanted to be a good boy for Louis, and what was he doing now? Complaining his arse off over nothing.

"Hey, it's okay." Louis placed a hand on his head, gently scratching at his scalp and fingering his curls. "You're okay. I'm not angry."

"What time will you leave?" Harry whispered.

"A bit past noon, and I'll be back home in five hours at the most," he reminded. "Nothing to worry about, yeah?"

Harry sighed, biting his lip. "Yeah." He lifted his gaze. "Are you sure I can't work at the radio station anymore?"

"I'm sorry, babes," Nick responded gently. "But you don't need any more public press on you. It's just not right. Louis and I both agree on that. This isn't because you're a submissive; this is for your safety, yeah?"

"Okay." Harry stared at the ground again. He knew it wasn't worth it to argue; he knew that his Dom and Nick only meant well. They cared for him, and he should appreciate it. "What will I do while I'm home?"

"I'm going to be setting chores for you to do," Louis responded. "I want you to know how to be responsible. Chores may vary each day."

Harry bit back a groan and just nodded. _Be a good boy,_ he reminded himself.  
"Whenever we go out in public, I'm going to choose your clothes for you," Louis informed. "What do you think of that?"

Harry blushed. "I'd like that," he breathed. "It's kind of like … it's like you're making sure I know I'm yours."

"Indeed I am," Louis chuckled, smoothing Harry's curls affectionately. "Would you like to talk about rules now, baby?"

"Mhm." Harry nodded.

"Okay. Well, this is a tactic that I learned at the training home." Louis stood up and pulled out a whiteboard from the back of the couch and set it beside him. At the very top in all capitals, 'RULES' was written. "Tell me, Harry, what's the best way for someone to memorize something?"

"Um." Harry bit his lip, then shrugged shyly, not wanting to give the wrong answer.

Thankfully, Louis didn't pressure him and instead answered his own question. "By putting it in their own words and making it up themselves so they can understand fully."

"Okay," Harry said slowly, trying to understand where the Dom was going with this.

Louis cracked a smile and handed him an uncapped whiteboard marker. "I want you to write the rules down yourself." He chuckled at Harry's expression. "I'll explain what I expect of you, and you will write down the rules I give you, Harry. Do you understand?"

"Yes." Harry wet his dry lips with his tongue nervously. He hoped Louis liked the way he worded the rules out. He wanted — no, _needed_ — the Dom to be pleased with him. "I understand."

"Very good." Louis sounded pleased already, making Harry swoon. "I want you to take a break from kneeling, as well," he added after a thought.

Harry pouted. "I'm fine," he tried. "Please let me kneel for you."

Louis smiled indulgently down at him, playing with his curls. "I understand that you're eager to please, Harry," he said gently, "but I'm not going to abuse your eagerness or your health. Your knees need a break."

"Listen to your Dom, Harry," Nick prompted gently. "Show him how good you can be."

Harry's gaze dropped. "Alright," he agreed reluctantly. He shifted on his knees, only then realizing how sore they were. He stood up slowly, hearing his joints pop and crack as he stretched.

"Come sit on my lap, baby." Louis hugged Harry around the waist and gently pulled him onto his legs.

Harry let out a squeak, blushing at the intimate act.

"Relax, baby," Louis chuckled. "I don't bite." He pressed his lips lightly to Harry's earlobe, making the sub shiver. "Unless you want me to," he breathed. "Relax. Let me take care of you, baby." He let his hands travel upwards and gently massage Harry's tense muscles. "I know what you need."

Harry's breathing hitched, a deep pounding coursing through his veins. That was when he became determined — he was going to please Louis for eternity. He was going to be Louis' sub forever, no matter what it took or what happened. Because Louis made him _feel_ , not just happy. Louis gave him a _purpose_.

"Good." Louis' voice was soft. "Such a good boy."

Harry shivered.

"Now." Louis wrapped his arms around Harry's waist again. "Let's start."

Harry nodded, gripping the marker tighter in his grasp. He was going to make sure Louis was happy with how he worded the rules.

"This relationship grows and builds with trust," Louis told him, "and you can't have trust if there isn't honesty between the two of us. Lying—" Louis' voice became stern — "is one of the worst ways you could shatter trust. Do you understand what the context of the first rule is, Harry?"

Harry bit his lip nervously, and wrote down, 'No lying or any form of dishonesty' beside the number one he had jotted down on the whiteboard. He then glanced up at Louis for approval.

"Very good." The Dom sounded pleased. "My smart boy."

Harry blushed and wriggled a bit. He loved praise. Praise always did things to him — especially if it was from Louis. He grinned, feeling like he was getting the hang of what Louis wanted him to do, and waited eagerly for the next rule. He was determined to get Louis to praise him, no matter what it fucking took.

Luck seemed to be on his side, because every rule he wrote down resulted in another smile from Louis. When they were finished, Harry capped the marker with a satisfied, contented sigh, and looked down at the rules he had written:

 _RULES:_

 _1\. No lying or any form of dishonesty_

 _2\. Always keep my safety in mind no matter what happens_

 _3\. No disobedience — there are rules in place for a reason_

 _4\. Always be respectful, including my belongings, my Dom, other people, and myself_

 _5\. Communication is key. If there is something that I don't understand or agree with, make sure to tell my Dom so that we can work it out_

 _6\. Use appropriate language at all times — no vulgar or any inappropriate curse words_

 _7\. Always use my safewords_

 _8\. No putting myself down, no self-harm, or any other way I could possibly disrespect myself_

 _9\. No touching myself without permission from my Dom_

He had blushed at the last rule while writing it down, but didn't argue with it. He secretly liked how much control Louis had over him. It made him feel secure.

Limits and kinks were next, as expected. Louis had already filled his out. Harry was handed papers to fill out and told to highlight each word in colours — red, yellow, and green. His eyes bulged at the amount of kinks listed and could already predict that his hand would be aching by the end of it.

He was hesitant whenever he had to ask Nick or Louis about something, feeling his cheeks grow warm.

"What's this?" He pointed at a word for what felt like the twentieth time.

Nick read the word upside down. "Emetophilia."

"When an individual is sexually aroused by vomiting or observing others vomit. It's also referred to as a vomit fetish," Louis informed in a casual tone as if they were discussing the weather.

Harry sucked in a breath. "Right." He picked up the red highlighter.

It took nearly an hour and a half to finish the list, and by then Nick had cleared the table, throwing away all the takeout containers, and cleaned the entire house, leaving Louis and Harry to discuss their limits and kinks.

"Finally!" Harry threw the green highlighter onto the table, relieved to be finished.

"Done?" Louis looked up from his book with an amused look on his face when he saw how tired Harry was.

Harry nodded. "Is that all?" He couldn't wait to get to bed and cuddle with Louis. It still felt odd knowing that he would go to sleep in his bed with Louis, not Nick. It was hard to break habits. That was the main problem — always having to change everything he had gotten used to.

Louis gave a nod. "Is everything we discussed alright with you?" the Dom checked, folding his hands in his lap.

Harry licked his lips at how dominant the blue-eyed man looked and forced himself to try and not think of all the possible things Louis could do to Harry in the bedroom. "Yeah," he settled for, fiddling with his fingers, picking at his nails.

"Hey, babes." Louis grabbed his hands gently. "Are you still upset about that work thing?"

Harry shrugged.

"Don't shrug," Louis scolded gently. "Answer me, yeah? Are you upset that you won't be able to work at the radio station anymore?"

"Kind of," Harry answered reluctantly. "I'm just … it's not fair." He blinked back tears. "It's not fair that you just come back and then change my whole life around. I've gotten used to a schedule for the past year and I'm finally feeling secure, and now everything's going to change again."

"I … I know, babe," Louis sighed. "This isn't fair to you. I'm sorry. I know we haven't had the best start to a relationship, but it's going to change now. It's going to change in a good way. I promise."

"Okay," Harry whispered.

"I know it can be hard to trust me, especially with everything that's happened," Louis said, looking a bit apologetic and sympathetic. "But I'm going to earn your trust, baby. I promise." He placed his hands on Harry's cheeks and gently pressed his lips to Harry's forehead. "I never break promises."

"I know you don't."

And Harry meant what he said. He truly believed that Louis wouldn't break his promises. Because if he did, it would hurt Harry.

And they both knew Louis wouldn't hurt Harry.

Not again.


	28. Chapter 28

**WARNINGS FOR THE CHAPTER: Lots of fluff, Harry is quite imaginative, panties, mention of blindfolding.**

* * *

Harry yawned and rolled over, snuggling against a nice, warm body. Still half asleep, he let out a small hum, enjoying the feeling of his body pressing against … his eyes snapped open to the sight of a still sleeping Louis. He laid there for a few moments, just enjoying the sight and feeling of his legs tangled with Louis', Louis' arm thrown over his back as they cuddled. Harry could feel Louis' morning wood pressing against his thigh as the Dom spooned him, but he just held still, not doing anything. It had been almost three weeks since Louis had returned and whenever Louis had morning wood, he offered to take care of it for him, but Louis had always declined. Harry always reminded himself that it was probably for a good reason.

When Louis stirred with a small, muffled noise, Harry held back a giggle unsuccessfully. Louis opened his eyes drearily, looking dazed. "G'morning." Harry ducked his head bashfully. "Sorry I woke you."

Louis then smiled, seeming to regain consciousness of what was going on around him, and pressed his forehead against Harry's, both of them enjoying the intimate contact. "Even if you woke me up with your giggle every morning for the rest of my life, I wouldn't complain."

Harry blushed but hit Louis' chest playfully. "You're so cheesy," he teased. He rolled over to stretch, letting out a small sound of pleasure when his joints popped satisfyingly. He thought he saw Louis' morning wood grow a bit more, if possible, at the sound he'd made, and he suppressed a smirk. He liked the fact that he could make his Dom's body react to him that way.

"What time is it?" Louis fumbled for his phone on the nightstand, squinting at it before tossing it back onto the surface of the stand. "Nine in the morning." He yawned and rubbed at his eyes.

Harry stared. "Aren't you supposed to be at work?"

"It's a Saturday," Louis reminded.

"Oh, right." Harry relaxed back in bed, staring up at the ceiling. "What are we doing today?"

"Oh, I dunno." Louis sounded thoughtful as he threw the covers off of him, revealing an almost nude body with the exception of tight boxers. "Maybe we'll have a Harry–and–Louis day." He winked as he pulled on a shirt. "Nick told me he was going off somewhere to meet some friends."

"A Harry–and–Louis day sounds amazing." Harry ducked his head bashfully — he did that often around Louis. He loved spending time with his Dom. Although it had all remained non–sexual, he was sure that they would work up to that later. He had to admit, he was feeling quite eager to please his Dom in that way, but he wasn't going to pressure Louis into anything if the Dom didn't want it.

"Glad you think so." Louis was now heading to the loo. "Because I've set up some pretty fun activities for us today."

Harry brightened. "Really?" He sat up in bed.

"Of course," Louis chuckled. "Only the best for my sub."

Harry dimpled at that, hopping out of bed. He watched contentedly as Louis pulled out some clothes for him, laying the outfit out on the bed. "What are we gonna do on our 'Harry and Louis' day?" he asked curiously.

Louis grinned at him. "You'll see." He winked. He stretched, not seeming ashamed or embarrassed about his very noticeable morning wood — especially since he was still nude. Harry had to bite his lip to prevent his eyes from straying there. "But first, how about we take a shower?"

Harry jumped up eagerly, scrambling after Louis. He loved shower time with his Dom — they'd only done it twice together, but he still remembered the way Louis' fingers felt in his hair, massaging his scalp as he shampooed it for him, his fingertips sliding on his skin … he shivered, getting goosebumps just at the thought.

He purposefully brushed against Louis' body as he ducked under the spray. He grinned when Louis just laughed and shook his head at him. "You're a tease," the Dom chuckled.

"I only learn from the best," Harry responded cheekily, grinning as he squirted some shampoo into his hand.

Louis raised an eyebrow. "I'm not doing it for you today?" he asked, stepping under the spray, nudging Harry aside.

"No, you are," Harry responded sweetly. "I'm just doing it for you too."

"Babes, you don't have to—"

"Just because you're a Dom doesn't mean that you can't be taken care of either." Harry shushed his Dom before applying the shampoo into Louis' feathery hair. "Your hair's gotten longer."

"I know, I should cut it," Louis responded, allowing Harry to wash his hair, seeming relaxed. His muscles were completely relaxed, and Harry knew that that meant the Dom was enjoying the sensation of his sub's fingers working into his scalp. "It is getting a bit annoying — my fringe looks far too tall if I style it up."

"I like it when you style it up," Harry told him, stepping back and giggling at his soapy finish — he had styled Louis' hair into a mohawk with the soap. "It makes you look really dominant and hot."

"Aren't I always?" Louis teased, feeling the mohawk and laughing.

"Not with that mohawk," Harry laughed.

Louis snorted. "Turn around, you cheeky little thing. It's your turn."

Harry leaned back, letting his eyes flutter shut, as Louis' fingers worked sensations of magic into his hair. He let out a small noise of satisfaction at the feeling of Louis playing with his hair — he loved it when the Dom did that.

"Your hair isn't all too short either, you know," Louis told him with a chuckle. "I think it looks nice, though. Very pretty."

Harry's hair had gotten to the length where it was now almost reaching his shoulders. He wasn't sure if the look suited him, but Nick had assured him it did, so he kept it. But he was still slightly insecure about it. "Really?" Harry bit his lip, smiling. "Isn't it too … girly?" His voice trailed off hesitantly at the end.

"Baby, no one cares about how 'girly' or feminine it looks — besides, it doesn't. You look gorgeous. I think you would look very pretty if I braided it for you, don't you think so?" Louis smiled fondly at him.

Harry blushed, smiling bashfully. "Really?" he asked softly.

"Mhm." Louis' smile widened. "Besides, just imagine all the things we could do with your long hair." He winked.

Harry bit his lip, trying to shoo the thoughts away. He watched the Dom begin to rinse his hair off under the spray, worrying his lip with his teeth. "How come you won't let me?" he suddenly blurted out, then went bright red.

Louis paused. "Sorry?"

Harry fiddled with his fingers. "Nothing," he mumbled.

"Baby, tell me." Louis' fingers stroked his face. "What did you say?"

Harry shrugged and said, "Why won't you let me please you … in that way?" His voice was small and timid.

Louis regarded him for a few moments, leaving Harry to squirm under his gaze.

"You're not rushing me or anything," Harry continued hesitantly, mustering up the courage. "Like, I know you mean well, but … I just really need it, Lou." His voice lowered. "I want to do it."

"I … I made a lot of mistakes when we were together in the past, Harry," Louis said slowly. He picked up a loofa and gestured for Harry to stand under the spray. When the sub finished rinsing off his hair, the Dom began to gently wash his body. "I'm not going to make those mistakes again."

"You won't." Harry frowned. "We both know you won't."

Louis finished off showering, so he stepped out first. Harry noticed that he had a thoughtful look on his face, and wondered what was on the Dom's mind.

When he finished his shower and stepped out, he found Louis examining his face in the mirror and Harry smirked. "Examining your perfection?" he asked teasingly.

"No, just wondering if I should shave this stubble off," Louis responded absentmindedly, running his hand over the slight stubble. "What do you think?"

Harry tried to shrug nonchalantly, but inside his head, he could just imagine how it would feel if they were in bed, Louis restraining Harry's wrists with his hand, grinding their hips together, and when he leaned forward, sucking lightly on Harry's collarbone, he would feel the stubble scraping his skin lightly, sending tingles up his spine …

"Harry?"

Harry jumped. "I think it looks fine either way," he offered hastily.

Louis eyed him for a few moments, looking slightly amused as if he knew Harry's thoughts. "I'm sure you do." He sighed and cracked his knuckles. "Well, since we're meeting some special people today, we might as well look as nice as possible."

Harry's eyes lit up. "You don't mean …?"

Louis chuckled. "Yes, babe, I mean them."

Harry let out a squeal. "Really?" he gasped. "Really?"

"Yes, really."

Harry hugged Louis tightly around his waist. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" he chanted.

"Anything for you, babe." Louis kissed his head.

"I'm so excited!" Harry grinned. "What time are we going?"

"I was thinking around evening so that we can have a nice dinner with them — what do you think? We can take Pig out for a walk and go out to do some shopping before heading to their house."

"That sounds amazing," Harry grinned. "But first, we definitely need to eat breakfast. I'm starving."

"So am I," Louis chuckled. "C'mon, babe. Want me to cook?" he teased.

"Oh dear lord, no," Harry laughed. "You'll end up burning down the kitchen. I'll do it. Pancakes sound good to you?"

"That sounds lovely," Louis responded, smiling at him as they headed down the stairs. The Dom sat down at the kitchen table and watched his sub bustle around.

In just a matter of seconds, steaming hot pancakes were finished, with whipped cream and blueberries added on top.

"Coffee or tea?" Harry asked, knowing that Louis preferred coffee on some days and tea on others.

"Coffee will do today. Thank you, love."

Harry whipped up a cup of warm coffee and poured himself a cup of milk before sitting down, stomach grumbling at the delicious smell of pancakes. He laughed when Pig circled them, giving them her best puppy eyes. "Want some too, Pig?" he cooed.

"Don't you dare give that dog food poisoning, Harry Edward Styles," Louis chuckled.

"Of course I won't!" Harry retorted, acting offended. He pouted. "You're mean. Isn't he, Pig?" he cooed to the dog.

"Oh, alright, make me the bad guy here." Louis rolled his eyes teasingly.

They finished their meal and did the dishes, putting on some good 90's songs as they did so.

"I think we should give Pig a walk now," Louis suggested. "She seems so bored. Plus, more Louis–and–Harry time, yeah?"

"Mhm." Harry stood up with a smile, pocketing his phone. "Just a short one though — I'm buzzing to get shopping and all."

They walked along the sidewalk, laughing and just having small talk.

"You know, there _is_ another reason why I don't want to rush into anything yet," Louis said casually, switching to a new topic. "Especially not into anything sexual."

"Why?" Harry stopped, watching Pig sniff the grass contentedly.

"I want to show you that BDSM isn't just all about sex," Louis breathed, stepping closer to him and wrapping his arms around Harry. "I want to show you how pleasurable and beautiful BDSM can be even without sex. I want to show you how intimate it can be and how good it can make you feel." He pressed a kiss under Harry's earlobe, lips lingering on Harry's soft, porcelain skin.

Harry shivered. "Okay," he whispered.

Beside them, Pig whined impatiently, making them both laugh.

"She's an impatient one," Louis commented. "C'mon, let's keep walking. We don't want Pig getting too bored, do we?" he cooed to the dog.

After walking Pig, they headed to the mall, where they spent a large amount of time just teasing each other and eating ice cream. Harry got himself a mint chocolate chip scoop while Louis got a french vanilla scoop.

"Any other store you want to visit?" Louis checked.

Harry bit his lip, thinking, as they walked aimlessly around the mall. A store then caught his eye, making him flush and give a shy nod.

Louis followed his gaze to where the flashy store sign was, and smiled fondly. "Would you like to go in there?" His voice was non-judgemental. In fact, it was far from it. The Dom tipped his head in the direction of the lingerie shop.

"Yes, please," Harry squeaked.

That was how he found himself bashfully eyeing a few items in the shop, face still glowing with warmth. He passed a collection of hot pink polka–dotted bras and headed to the panties section, Louis following him.

Harry hesitated, just biting his lip and glancing at all the different kinds of panties for both men and women.

"Anything catch your eye?" Louis prompted, voice still filled with warmth. When he didn't get an answer from the curly-haired sub, Louis picked up a pair of light pink, comfortable–looking panties. "These are cute," Louis commented.

Harry nodded. His voice seemed to have run away.

The skin around Louis' eyes crinkled as the Dom eyed him in amusement. "Would you like to get them?"

"Y–Yes, please," Harry squeaked, mouth dry.

"If you buy six pairs, you'll get your sixth one at half **–** price," a worker informed them as he bustled past.

Louis turned to Harry with a grin. "Did you hear that, princess?" He handed Harry the pair he was holding. "Choose your pick. Five more."

It took Harry a while but he finally managed to muster up the courage and picked out five more pairs that he thought would look good on him.

"Finished?" Louis checked.

"Yeah."

As they headed to the cashier, Harry heard a Dom saying to his sub, who seemed to be trying to choose some panties as well, "You'll look so gorgeous and sexy in these. I won't be able to resist you."

That was when a plan began to form in his mind.

* * *

The moment Harry had been waiting eagerly for arrived.

"I'm glad you're so excited," Louis chuckled as he started the engine in the car, beginning to drive. "Did Nick not take you to see them?"

"Sometimes," Harry responded. "I just haven't seen them in a while." He wriggled in his seat. "'M excited."

"I can tell." Louis sounded amused.

FIfteen minutes later, they pulled up in front of the mansion that Zayn, Liam, and Niall lived in. Harry practically leaped out of the car, skipping up to the doorstep and ringing the doorbell. They still had the keys to the house, of course, but he rang the bell just out of courtesy. He didn't want to seem rude.

The door opened and Harry opened his mouth to speak but a flash of blond was all he saw before he found himself in a nearly suffocating hug from Niall.

"Ni," he laughed, patting his friend on the back. "Stopppp. Can't breathe."

Zayn appeared out of nowhere and gently pulled Niall off of the curly-haired sub, fondly reprimanding, "Niall."

"Whaattt?" Niall grinned. "I'm just welcoming them." He waved to Louis. "Hi, Lou!"

"Hello, Ni," Louis responded with a smile. He looked up at Zayn. "Great to see you," he greeted, reaching out and hugging the other Dom tightly. "Missed you, yeah?"

"Missed you too." Zayn hugged him back tightly.

"Zayn! Niall! Is that Harry and Louis at the door?" Liam called, appearing in the doorway. He bustled forward and urged the couple inside, scolding Zayn and Niall, "Don't just leave them at the door, you two! Invite them inside!"

Louis chuckled. "Thank you, Liam."

Harry grinned, watching Zayn and Liam playfully banter about proper treatment of their guests. Things almost felt like they were back to normal, and that was comforting in a sense. He was jerked out of his thoughts when Niall grabbed his hand, blue eyes shining, and exclaimed, "C'mon, curly, upstairs! Early dinner will be ready soon. We've got so much to talk about!"

Harry glanced at Louis, smiling when the Dom gave him a nod and a small murmur of, "Go on." He let Niall drag him to his room and watched as the other sub shut his door behind him.

"You have absolutely no idea what Zayn, Liam, and I did yesterday," Niall was informing him in a thrilled tone. "We tried out this new kink and I didn't think I would like it but I did and it was just — _ugh!_ I can't even explain it. It was just _sooooo_ good."

"What was it?" Harry asked curiously.

"It wasn't even anything hardcore," Niall laughed, sitting down on the bed next to Harry. "But it's just the way they made me feel." The blond sub let out a wistful sigh. "I'm never going to forget that moment … right, sorry." He laughed sheepishly when Harry giggled at his dreamy tone.

"No worries," Harry responded, amused.

"So basically, they came home from work and I really wanted to please them so I was kneeling in front of the door. They were pretty surprised to see me kneeling for them — naked, mind you." Niall paused dramatically. "Then they told me I was so pretty and so perfect that they couldn't resist me at all, and Liam literally picked me up and carried me upstairs." Niall shivered. "Gosh, they're so hot when they're in their suits after coming back from work."

Harry felt a tingle run up his spine as his imagination whipped up a vivid image of how hot and amazing and _fucking perfect_ Louis would look in a suit.

"Then Zayn blindfolded me with his tie — _his goddamned tie!_ — and told me that they wanted me to only focus on their touches, and nothing else. They took such good care of me, Curly, you can't even imagine it."

"Wow." Harry stared at the wall. "That sounds …"

"Pretty great, I know," Niall finished smugly. He leaned forward and wiggled his eyebrows. "Well? What about you, Curly? Anything exciting happen with you and Louis?" He winked.

Harry blushed and gave a small laugh. "Well, no, not _yet_ ," he replied, emphasizing the last word. "I need your help with something, Niall."

"Yes?" Niall wiggled his eyebrows, making Harry laugh and whack him on the shoulder.

"Stop that!" the curly-haired sub giggled.

"Sorry." Niall grinned good-naturedly. "Go on."

Harry leaned forward, admitting what he wanted to his friend. "I really, really … want some _action_ with Louis." He paused before continuing. "He's insisting on waiting until 'the time is right,' and I don't want to push or pressure, but I know Louis. I know he hasn't … you know … with me yet because he doesn't want to mess up the bond we've started to form."

"Well." Niall scrunched his nose. "That's not very satisfying."

"No," Harry agreed. "And it's not just because I'm horny or anything. I just … I want to make Louis feel good. _I_ want to be the one to make Louis feel good. Is that weird?" He frowned.

"No, it's not weird at all," Niall assured. "That's how a lot of subs feel. I mean, it _is_ a pretty nice feeling knowing that you're the one making your Dom feel like that. It's satisfying, in a way."

Harry smirked at Niall. "So, this is what I need your help with."

Niall raised an eyebrow. "Me?"

"Yes, you. You're one of the most confident people I know. I'm positive you can help me with this. How can I seduce Louis enough and convince him that I'm ready for … _it_?"

"I've got your back, Curly, don't you worry." Niall clapped Harry on the back. "Tonight, you'll be lying in bed with the ever–so–handsome Mr. Louis Tomlinson, I guarantee you."

Harry grinned. Hopefully, Niall was right and it would work out.

Hopefully, he would have Louis in bed with him that night.


	29. Chapter 29

**WARNINGS FOR THE CHAPTER: Nothing triggering should be in this chapter. Everything that happens is consensual in this chapter, and it's just ... smut and fluff. Just ... just read it ;)**

* * *

"So how is everything going with you and Harry?" Zayn asked as he poured a cup of tea for Louis.

The blue-eyed Dom gave a shrug. "Fairly well," he responded. "Our relationship has definitely gotten stronger."

"That's good," Liam commented.

"I haven't had to punish him yet, though," Louis mentioned.

Zayn snorted. "Considering it's Harry, you will soon."

Louis rolled his eyes fondly. "I'm sure I will." He took a sip from the tea and made a face, hissing when it burned his tongue. Setting the cup gingerly back on the table, he silently reminded himself not to touch it again until it had cooled. "Harry's been very … _eager_ lately," he commented. "Sexually."

Liam raised an eyebrow at him from across the table. "And you aren't?"

"No, of course I am!" Louis hastened to explain. "It's just … I don't want to rush into anything. And besides, I messed up a lot last time. I need to make sure that everything goes perfectly, yeah?" He sighed, feeling deeply conflicted.

"You know, Lou, the point of the training home wasn't to make you perfect." Liam gave him a contemplative look. "It was to make you better. And it's obvious that it worked because you're an excellent Dom now. But that doesn't mean you should be perfect."

"Your relationship won't be perfect either," Zayn remarked. "It'll have its ups and downs."

"I know," Louis sighed. "I just … I feel like we should go slowly. Not just for him, but for myself too. Or does that make me incredibly selfish? Should I be giving my sub what he wants?"

"You should only engage sexually with him when you want to. Everything the two of you do should be because you both _want_ to do it, not just because one person feels that the other wants to do it. So by all means, if you feel absolutely comfortable and you're enthusiastic about helping your sub feel good in that way, then go ahead. But don't do it until you're both ready," Zayn advised.

"Besides, Lou, are you really not ready to have sex with Harry?" Liam raised an eyebrow questioningly at him. "Or is it just the fact that you're nervous?"

"I …" Louis groaned and buried his face in his hands. "Fine! I'm ready; I'm perfectly ready. I'm dying for it, actually. I'm getting sick of wanking in the shower. I'm just scared. What if Harry doesn't find it pleasurable at all? What if he doesn't enjoy it or—"

"Oh, _please,"_ Zayn scoffed. "Harry would find anything you do achingly arousing."

"Plus, Lou, I personally feel like you're just pushing him away further by not doing what both of you want to do. You're both ready and you're both aching for it — no pun intended. It'll just help your relationship grow stronger," Liam told him meaningfully.

Louis was quiet for a few moments, lost in his thoughts, before he looked up with a smile playing on lips. "Since when were my two best mates so amazingly wise?" he said teasingly.

"Since forever, Lou," Liam laughed. "Since forever."

Harry was sitting on Niall's bed with the blond sub waggling his eyebrows at him meaningfully. "What?" Harry laughed, unable to hold it in. "Stop making that face!"

Niall grinned. "Sorry; can't help it. I just can't believe that my baby is all grown up and wanting to _fucking have sex!"_

"Shhhh!" Harry spluttered, going bright red in the face.

Niall's eyes widened comically. "What?" he gasped. "I thought Louis already knew that you wanted to … you know … with him?"

"He does!" Harry groaned, burying his face in his hands. "But I don't want him to know that we're talking about it! So keep your voice down!"

Niall held his hands up defensively. "Alright, alright, sorry." He let his hands drop to his knees and leaned in closer, making sure that his voice was quieter. "So what exactly do you want to start with?"

"What do you mean?" Harry gave the other sub a confused look.

"I mean … what exactly is it that you want to do with Louis first?" Niall rephrased. "Penetration, blowjobs, handjobs, rimming … oh, panties are a definite yes, by the way, but not too much of a huge factor, so I suppose it'd be okay if you weren't wearing them—"

"Whoa, okay," Harry interrupted, face glowing with warmth. He glared when Niall rolled his eyes. "What now?"

"You're not gonna be able to properly have sex if you're going to be a blushing virgin the entire time," Niall lectured. "Be proud to have sex with your Dom. It's one of the most intimate things you can do. Plus, it feels fucking amazing." He winked.

Harry rolled his eyes. "If Zayn or Liam heard your language, they would tan your arse bright red — just like how your bum was when we first met."

"Oh, please, let's never bring that up," Niall groaned. "C'mon, Curly, this is about you, not me and my spanked arse."

Harry giggled.

"And you never answered my question about what you wanted to start with."

Harry bit his lip, trying to make a decision. "I … I don't know," he said with uncertainty.

"Honestly, I would recommend starting with a blowjob," Niall said casually. "Simple yet enjoyable. Plus, it can help lead up to something more. You probably won't be a virgin by the end of tonight." He grinned cheekily.

Harry's lips twitched upwards in amusement at Niall's words, making the blond sub roll his eyes good-naturedly.

"C'mon, Curly," he coaxed. "Tell me."

"I guess a blowjob would be fine," Harry agreed bashfully.

"Good. And don't worry too much if things don't go as planned, Curly," Niall advised. "Sex should happen as you go with the flow; don't force it. All I'm saying is that for you, a blowjob might be a good start."

"I don't have any qualms about blowjobs, and I'm almost positive that things won't go exactly as we're planning right now. I just don't know a lot about giving a blowjob." He frowned.

"I'm sure Louis will like that side of you, though," Niall told him knowingly. "Who wouldn't, with your pretty little innocent eyes? Besides, most Doms enjoy being able to be the first ones to teach their subs new things. That's understandable, since it's like they're technically opening a new door for you — to the world of sex," he ended dramatically.

"Nialllll," Harry whined. "Stopppp."

"Oh, Curly, you'll be absolutely _begging_ for Louis to keep going tonight."

"Did you enjoy your time with Niall?" Louis questioned as he got into the car, waving to the trio standing at the doorway of their extremely large house.

"Yeah," Harry responded. "It was nice seeing them again."

"I'm sure it was," Louis responded, pulling out of the driveway and beginning to drive off. "What are you planning on doing when you get home?"

"Going to bed," Harry replied. _With you._

Louis raised an eyebrow at him appraisingly. "It's seven."

A smile cracked onto Harry's face. "I know," he giggled. He wanted to straddle Louis' lap and do some maybe not-so-appropriate things, but he resisted the urge, knowing that it was dangerous to do so when Louis was driving. No matter. He would do it and get the full experience tonight. He was going to have sex with Louis fucking Tomlinson.

Louis shook his head, clearly amused. "Suit yourself," he chuckled.

"Will you cuddle with me in bed?" Harry asked with an adorable pout, begging Louis silently with his eyes.

"I was planning on playing some footie out in the garden," Louis responded, and Harry purposefully wilted. "But … since my adorable little sub is asking, I've decided to forgo that thought and join him in bed."

Harry practically beamed, dimples popping in his cheeks as he let out an excited little squeal, heart thrumming. "Yay!" He couldn't resist leaning over and pecking Louis on the cheek, placing a hand casually on his thigh, extremely close to a rather mouth-watering place.

"I'm driving, love," Louis scolded gently, though he seemed thoroughly amused by Harry's actions.

When the car slowed to a stop, Harry tried to lean in for a kiss, but Louis gently pushed him back with a stern, "Ah, ah!"

The sub sat back with a pout on his lips again, but couldn't help it breaking into a grin when he saw Louis' exasperated look. "Whaaaat? It was a red light!" Harry pouted teasingly.

Louis rolled his eyes good-naturedly. "Right. And if it changed into a green light, I would able to notice it even if we were snogging?"

The teasing banter continued all the way home, ending with both lads breaking into laughter.

"Oh, you're a brat," Louis chuckled, getting out of the car.

"I know." Harry grinned cheekily. "Race you to the bedroom!" he called over his shoulder the moment Louis opened the door to the house.

"Hey! You got a head start!" Louis complained loudly, but quickly jogged after him.

Harry ran straight into his and Louis' bedroom, triumphantly turning around to announce that he'd won, when Louis barrelled into him and sent them flying onto the bed. Breaking out into breathless giggles, Harry rolled them over so that he was lying on top of Louis, straddling his Dom.

"I win," Louis told him.

"Wha—" Harry opened his mouth to protest but before he could, Louis leaned up and kissed him on the lips, tongue flicking out to taste Harry's bottom lip. Harry let out a small moan as the kiss deepened, Louis dominating the kiss, before they had to pull apart for air.

"L-Louis," Harry gasped, hips stuttering forward involuntarily, pants tightening. He was a little surprised when he felt a rather obvious bulge in Louis' pants as well, but he wasn't complaining. Hell, this was going better than he'd expected!

"Oh, god, Harry," Louis groaned, hips arching up to try to meet Harry's before he seemed to regain his composure and stopped. "Hazza, we shouldn't be—"

"Shut up and kiss me." Harry started the kiss this time, leaning down and kissing Louis, moaning when the Dom slid a hand into his curls and fisted his hair gently.

"N-Not the most polite way to phrase it, especially to your Dom," Louis panted, eyes bright with arousal.

"Shut up and kiss me, please, Sir," Harry rephrased cheekily and this time, Louis arched up to meet the kiss too.

"Love," Louis said breathlessly when they pulled apart for the third time. "We can't just do this right now—"

"Why not?" Harry huffed, frustrated. "I want it. You do too." He flicked his eyes downwards to Louis' hard cock to prove his point. "So what's stopping you?"

Louis paused, gazing up at him before saying softly, "We can't rush things—"

"We're _not!"_ Harry exclaimed. "Please, Sir." He looked at his Dom beggingly. "Please. I really, really want this. No, I _need_ it. I need you to show me that I'm yours. I want it all."

"You're sure?" Louis asked.

Harry nodded. "A hundred percent positive. I promise. You?"

"I'm sure, too," Louis responded quietly. "And you know your safeword?"

Harry frowned. "Lou, Sir, it's just sex—"

"No," Louis cut him off. "I need you to tell me your safeword. If you don't enjoy something, even just a tiny bit, you need to let me know."

"Okay. It's red," Harry replied. "And … Louis?" He stared at his Dom somberly. "You really, really want this, right? I'm not … forcing you to?"

"No, baby." Louis smiled up fondly at him. "You have no idea how much I've waited for this moment."

"Okay." Harry exhaled. "Okay."

"Strip for me," Louis told him gently, wriggling out from underneath Harry to take off his own clothes.

"Yes, Sir." Harry had seen Louis' response when he had called his Dom 'Sir,' and knew that he enjoyed it just as much as Louis did. He scrambled to his feet, hastily stripping his clothes off of his body and dropping them into a careless pile on the floor.

"You're such a good boy," Louis crooned when Harry finished stripping and was standing naked in front of him. "My good boy."

Harry's eyelashes fluttered at the praise, practically purring in contentment.

"On the bed, now," Louis told him. "I want you on your back and holding onto the headboard."

Harry scrambled to get into the position Louis had demanded of him, heart beating rapidly in excitement. Fuck, he couldn't believe this was happening.

"You're to not let go of that headboard, do you understand?" Louis murmured, blue eyes flicking up to meet Harry's, straddling his hips once Harry was situated. "Show me that you can be a good boy."

Harry nodded rapidly. "I will, Sir," he breathed, eyes bright in excitement. "I promise."

"Good boy. Oh, and Harry?"

"Yes, Sir?"

"Don't come until I give permission."

Harry nearly moaned at that command. "Y-Yes, Sir."

"Good." With that, Louis dove forward right away, pressing his mouth to Harry's skin, making the sub let out a loud moan. Mouthing at the skin on his neck, Louis sucked hard and Harry's skin tingled in excitement, knowing that he was going to be marked by his Dom.

"Oh, f-fuck," he groaned when Louis pulled away and gently brushed his lips on the mark.

"Mmm, language," the Dom scolded gently, attacking Harry's skin again with his mouth. This time, he started from Harry's collarbone and trailed down to his nipples, kissing and sucking lightly.

"S-Sorry!" Harry gasped. "C-Can't help it; _oh god, Sir!"_ He threw his head back when Louis took his left nipple into his mouth, sucking and licking. "L-Louuuu," he panted. "Fu … feels s-so good." He barely managed to refrain from cursing again.

"Sensitive, aren't they?" Louis murmured, pulling back and flicking the nipple with his fingers, making Harry whimper and arch his back. Chuckling, he moved on to the right nipple, sucking and biting lightly until Harry was a trembling, sweaty mess.

God, Harry wasn't sure how he'd even be able to hold back from coming until Louis gave him permission, and fuck — his Dom hadn't even fucked him yet and he was a mess. It felt so, _so_ good.

"Ohhhh, Sirrrr," he gasped, hips stuttering upwards, as Louis trailed his tongue from his nipple down to his stomach. He let out a small whimper of disappointment when Louis stopped right above his cock.

Louis chuckled, lips red and glistening as he looked up at Harry with dark eyes. "Enjoying yourself?"

"V-Very," Harry panted back, wanting to push his sweaty curls off of his forehead with a hand, but he kept his hands on the headboard. He was a good boy. "God, I'm like an oversensitive virgin."

"Because you are one," Louis chuckled, leaning up and kissing him on the lips. "But no harm done. It's intoxicating how I get to be your first everything."

Harry felt Louis' cock press against his thigh and he couldn't help but ask bashfully, "Lou?"

"Yes, baby?" Louis was pressing little kisses onto Harry's shoulder.

"Lou, can I give you a blowjob?" Harry breathed, voice rough and husky.

"I'd love it, if you just wait," Louis murmured back before wrapping a hand around Harry's cock and beginning to stroke up and down slowly.

Harry let out a small moan, hips moving up involuntarily. Louis firmly pushed his hips down with a hand, murmuring, "Just lay there and let me give you what you need, baby."

So Harry did just that. Whimpering and twitching with each stroke, he allowed Louis to send waves of pleasure crashing over his entire body from head to toe. "P-Please, Sir," he whimpered. "Please, can I?" He wanted to be good for Louis; he wanted to hear Louis praise him for being so good and he could prove to Louis that he was good and—

"Alright, baby." Louis took his hand off of his cock and Harry whined lowly at the loss. "Let go of the headboard. You've been doing very good for holding on to it like I told you to. Such a good boy. Ready to show me even more that you're a good boy?" When Harry gave a series of quick, rapid nods, Louis gestured to the floor and said, "Kneel for me here, yeah?"

"Y-Yes, god, yes, okay," Harry gasped, nearly falling forward as he let go of the headboard to try to kneel where Louis had indicated.

"Whoa, easy, baby," Louis chuckled, catching him with his hands. "No rush."

Harry took a deep breath and knelt on the floor, watching as Louis sat comfortably on the edge of the bed. He licked his lips, eyes flicking to Louis' cock and back up at the Dom. He could do it. He was a good boy. He was going to show Louis how good he could be.

"Just start off with the head, baby," Louis instructed, pushing his hand into Harry's curls and gently tugging, making Harry's eyelashes flutter in pleasure. "Don't push yourself too hard — I'll be proud of you no matter what. Because you're my good boy, aren't you? Yes, you are."

Letting those words wash over him, Harry closed his eyes, took a deep breath, before shuffling closer and wrapping his lips over the head of Louis' cock. He sucked and let his tongue explore, licking and flitting around the tip of his Dom's cock, before moving on. He sank deeper until he felt Louis' cock nudge the back of his throat and withdrew, head bobbing as he sucked.

"Good boy," Louis groaned, tightening the fist in Harry's hair. "Such a good boy. Feels so good, baby. Making your Dom so proud of you. Keep going, just like that."

Harry let out a small sound of pleasure at the praise, body nearly vibrating with happiness as he continued to suck.

"God, Harry!" Louis panted. "You're so good at this."

Harry hummed, knowing that it would send waves of vibration up Louis' cock. Sure enough, the Dom let out a small moan at the sensation, hips jerking forward and making Harry nearly choke.

Louis cursed, pulling back. "Doing okay, baby?"

Harry nodded, focusing on pleasuring his Dom, until the hand in his hair pulled him off of his cock, making him whine. His eyes flicked up to meet Louis'.

"Colour?"

"Green," Harry responded, voice gravelly from the sucking he'd done. "Please, Sir, I want to—" Not even finishing his sentence, he leaned forwards, trying to take Louis' cock in his mouth.

"Ah, ah, ah!" Louis pulled him back by his hair again, sending sharp jolts of pleasure through Harry's body at the hair pulling. "I think that _I_ want to make you feel good now."

Harry let out a low whine at that.

"I'll make you feel so good, baby," Louis promised, helping him up onto the bed. "You deserve it for being so good, don't you? Good boy — on all fours now."

Harry scrambled into position, eager for whatever was coming next. Hell, he'd take it all — Louis' tongue, Louis' fingers, Louis' cock — whatever it was, he wanted it.

Sure enough, his expectations didn't disappoint him — he felt Louis' warm breath on his hole, making him let out a breathy moan. "Please," he begged, pushing his arse back. "Please, I want it."

Louis chuckled. "Of course, baby." Then he dived right in, licking a broad stripe all the way from his balls to his hole.

Harry let out a loud moan, arms and legs shaking from the pleasurable feeling. "God, oh my god, Sir — it feels so good; so, so good; o-oh my—"

Louis let out another small laugh at Harry's reactions. "I'm sure it does," he teased, letting his tongue lick over Harry's fluttering hole again.

When he pulled back, Harry let out a small, dry sob. "No," he whined. "Please; I want more, _please_ —"

"I have something better for you," Louis promised.

Harry's cock twitched when he heard the cap of a bottle click open, accompanied shortly after with the squelch of lube squirting out. "Fuck," he swore, pushing his arse back even more. This was happening — it was really, seriously, _genuinely_ happening.

"Language," Louis reprimanded. He pushed his fingers onto Harry's hole, lubricating it, and the sub moan and stammer out a small apology.

Harry shivered at the cold feeling of the lube, but the coolness of it was the furthest thing he could care about when he felt one of Louis' fingers enter his hole. He let out a small whimper at the odd feeling.

"Okay, love?" Louis murmured. "Colour?"

"Green," Harry promised. He exhaled. "You can keep going."

Louis did so, slowly moving his finger in and out, stretching Harry out effectively. "Gonna add another one now, love," the Dom murmured, wriggling another finger in and making Harry moan. "Feel okay?"

"Yes," Harry breathed.

"God, you're so tight," Louis murmured, slowly pushing his fingers in and out. "Gonna make you feel so good, baby. You'll be screaming my name so loudly that even Liam will be able to hear from that mansion of his."

"That's definitely what I want," Harry shot back, gritting his teeth at the full feeling when Louis added a third finger. "Make me scream."

"Oh, baby, _I will."_

Harry heard some rustling behind him after a while of Louis fingering him to stretch him out, and he shakily exhaled. Louis was going to take his virginity. Fuck, he was so excited.

Louis lined up with his hole behind him, stroking his cock twice and lubricating it as well. "You're sure about this, baby?" he teased, rubbing his cock against Harry's hole teasingly.

"Shut up and fuck me."

Harry heard Louis chuckle before beginning to press in. He let out a small sound of discomfort when the head of Louis' cock breached his hole, but gritted his teeth and remained still on all fours. He wanted this.

He let out a moan when Louis was finally fully inside him, not moving yet, allowing Harry to adjust to the slightly odd sensation. "Move," Harry said through gritted teeth. "Please."

Louis placed a hand on the small of his back and slowly began to move, making Harry moan and almost collapse from his position. "I-It hurts," he whimpered.

Louis stilled immediately, rubbing his back gently. "Colour, love?"

"Green. Keep g-going." Harry wanted to feel that pain, that aching sensation, for days, knowing he was only Louis'.

"Okay." Louis continued to move slowly, trying to make it as painless as possible for the panting sub.

Slowly, they rocked into a rhythm, Harry adjusting more to the sensation of being fucked and beginning to enjoy as pain slowly became _less_ and pleasure became _more._

Louis seemed to be enjoying himself too, panting as he rocked back and forth. "You're so tight," the Dom groaned. "You feel so good, Hazza."

Harry just moaned, unable to give a coherent response to that. His brain was turning foggier and foggier with each thrust.

Soon enough, they picked up the pace, the need to come growing stronger and more intense by the second.

"Oh, fuuuckkk," Louis groaned, thrusting his hips forward faster and faster.

"N-No … swearing …" Harry moaned, rocking his hips backwards in time with Louis' thrusts. "Oh, _fuck!"_

"T-Thought … you said … no swearing," Louis panted, making Harry give a small bark of laughter that quickly became a loud whine.

"Oh, god, L-Lou!" Harry hung his head, squeezing his eyes shut at the pleasure. "Oh, Sir! I-I need to come! I'm gonna come! P-Please, I—"

"Not yet," Louis growled, thrusting deep into Harry, making the sub throw his head back, mouth open in a soundless moan.

Harry could feel Louis' abs contract from pleasure, chest heaving, and he knew that the Dom was coming. He let out a moan when he realized Louis was coming in him. Fuck, it felt so good.

Louis' voice was hoarse when he breathed, "Now you can come," and reached down, briskly stroking Harry's cock.

It didn't take long before Harry let out a moan that wracked his entire body, waves of pleasure crashing over him as he came. Panting, he slumped down into the sheets, not even caring that their bodies and their sheets weren't exactly the cleanest at the moment.

Louis slowly pulled out of him, making Harry wince. The Dom ran his hands over his body, massaging gently and pressing kisses onto his skin, making Harry shiver.

"You did so good, baby," Louis whispered. "You're so beautiful, love. Such a good boy." He pressed more kisses onto Harry's body, making the sub whimper in contentment.

Harry shifted back until they were touching, bodies pressing against each other. He closed his eyes, happy to let the fog take over. He felt so relaxed, so happy, and so, _so_ loved. For a few minutes, all that occupied the room was the sound of their breathing.

"We should clean up. The sheets are dirty," Louis whispered gently, but neither of them moved. Eventually, Louis curled up closer to Harry, wrapping his limbs around the sub's body.

Harry let out a sigh of contentment as Louis spooned him from behind, feeling his Dom's arms wrap around him, giving him a sense of safety and warmth. He could hear Louis' slow, steady, and relaxed breathing in his ear and he matched his own to correspond with his Dom's. "I love you," Harry whispered, unable to hold it back. "I love you, Lou."

Harry heard Louis' breathing quicken for a small moment before the Dom murmured, "I love you too, Harry."

And they both believed it this time.


End file.
